The Rise of the Avengers
by TheIronSamurai
Summary: It has been ten years since Harmonic Convergence, and the world has changed. New threats have arisen that no single hero, even the Avatar, can fight alone. On a day unlike any other, Earth's mightiest heroes find themselves united against a common threat. It is then that they became the world's first group of heroes: the Avengers!
1. Chapter 0: The Fall

A lone man sat cross-legged in pitch-black darkness. The man, with long dark hair and light skin, was in a deep trance, his face not showing the slightest sign of life. He wore golden armor which covered almost his entire body, made up of individual plates that allowed for mobility and speed. A green cape was clasped onto his shoulders, and stretched behind him into the dark. The cape did not move or flutter, as if the air in the room was completely still.

Next to him sat a curious object: a golden helm engraved with the same kind of etchings as the armor. These mysterious markings encircled the helm around its crown. The aspects that stood out, however, were two long horns extending from the forehead and curving backwards towards its rear. The helmet seemed to shimmer in and out of existence, as the darkness encroached upon the man.

The helm was not the only object in the room, however. Across the man's lap lay a spear, which seemed to be made of the same golden material as the armor and helm. The spear stretched nearly six feet in length, topped by an ornate spearhead. The spearhead was covered in the mysterious etchings and had a single green gem inlaid into the metal. The gem glowed constantly, seeming to beat back the darkness.

Suddenly, a massive flash of light, brighter than a sun, burst forth from the gem and forced the darkness to recede. As the dark gave way to light, a room began to form around the man, stretching only fifty feet across and twenty feet wide. The ceiling, however, stretched farther than the eye could see, and glittered in the light of a thousand stars. The room had no windows or doors, was encased with black walls and capped by the night sky above. There were no other occupants of the mysterious space: just the lone man.

As the room cleared of the darkness, the man began to stir from his trance. His eyes opened, revealing his startling irises, which were the color of emeralds. They seemed to pierce reality itself as he glanced around at his surroundings. His face betrayed no emotions, only cold calculation as the man stood and turned to scan the rest of the room. Looking down, the armored stranger saw the helm and knelt down to examine it. Reaching out hesitantly, he seemed unsure if the helmet was truly there. Laying his fingers upon its engravings, the man's face betrayed a sign of emotion: a single tear ran down his right cheek.

Wiping it away with his right hand, his face broke into a slight grin. Picking up the helm, the dark haired stranger placed it on his head, completing his set of armor. As he grasped the spear in his left hand, the gem in the spearhead flashed twice, as if acknowledging the man. The man grasped the spear tighter, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. The grin on his face was replaced by a scowl, and his eyes seemed to fill with pain and sadness. He began to speak aloud.

"So it's true then. Of all the inhabitants of the golden realm, I alone remain." He slammed the spear into the ground, making cracks appear in the floor. "I remember darkness, all of reality coming undone, and…" He closed his eyes, as the memories came rushing back. "How did I survive the destruction?" He glanced down at his hands, and remembered.

* * *

_I am Loki._

Waves of energy rippled out from the golden palace, and it looked like the sky was being rent apart. With each release, reality was being ripped apart. The fighters on all sides were being rendered into oblivion by the power being unleashed. Warriors renowned throughout the realms as being without fear shrieked as their bodies were blown apart or burnt into ash. Only the mightiest of the combatants could withstand the reality-altering energy blasts.

The present day Loki looked upon Asgard and remembered who he was, what had happened. He still needed to see how he had survived though. Loki searched the battlefield for his past self, hoping to find the answers he was seeking. From his perch atop a guard tower, he could see everything.

The greatest of the frost giants, the mighty Ymir, stood alone among his brethren, fighting the remaining forces of the golden realm. Only three warriors stood to oppose him, magically protected from the energy waves. The first stabbed his sword into the giant's hand, pinning it into the ground. The giant, enraged, plucked the sword out of his hand and without warning, crushed the warrior between his palms. The other two fighters counterattacked, but were met by the giant's full fury.

He turned his attention to another battle unfolding: one between three women and a man dressed in golden armor… that looked exactly like him. Loki's hands glowed green as he sent energy blasts towards one of the women, dressed in battle armor and wielding a mystical sword. The energy blasts struck the battle-weary woman and caused her to collapse. "Valkyrie! No!"

The two remaining women, one blonde dressed in green garb and the other black-haired dressed in ornate armor, cried out at once. The blonde summoned energy blasts of her own and flung them at Loki. "You will pay for this treachery!" Loki simply ducked as the blasts impacted into the side of a building. The wall collapsed, and took the building with it.

The Trickster chuckled at her remark. "It was no different from what you have done, Amora. You fought Thor for years, but now you defend the golden realm from the inevitability of its destruction. You are no different than me: I am only choosing the winning side." With that remark, Loki summoned a glowing sword and attacked. Amora put up a fight, but she was exhausted from the long battle before. A magical shield conjured by the Enchantress lasted for mere seconds before he smashed through it with the sword. The last of her magic expended, Amora collapsed to her knees.

She spoke: "Finish it. You have won, for now. But what happens when that," pointing to the cracks in the sky, "reaches its peak? No one, not even you, will survive." As she finished her remark, she waited for a reply. Instead, Loki simply laughed and without warning, plunged the blade into Amora's stomach. "This final battle, as you call it, has played out an immeasurable number of times. It comes, the nine realms burn, and the gods fall. Then it begins all again. I will see you, when the cycle starts anew." He kissed her on the cheek, as the life left her eyes.

Loki smiled and waved his sword around. "No. I don't think that this toy will work with you. You are far too gifted with a blade for me to dispose of you that way. Amora was so talented with her magics, but could never swing a sword. You on the other hand…" He was interrupted by the other woman, who charged forward, swinging her sword in a downward arc. Loki dropped his sword and grabbed the woman's sword with his hand, which was ensorcelled in mystical energy. "You and Thor are the same. Fighting with sword or hammer, never with magic. Tell me, hasn't the battle been tiring? Swinging a sword for hours on end has to be utterly…" He snapped the sword in two suddenly with a burst of magic. Loki then finished his sentence: "exhausting."

Astonished, the woman reached for her belt, but was frozen in place by the god's power. "Tell me, Sif. Do you think that anyone else remains? Let us see." The two dissolved in a flash of light, and reformed at the battle site of Ymir and the Warriors Three. Sif could only talk and move her head, and immediately wished she could not do the latter. The giant lay dead only feet from the pair, a sword protruding from its left eye. The three fighters lay crushed beneath its right hand, dead.

"Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg…" Sif closed her eyes as tears began to well up. "Oh, and that's just the beginning, my dear lady." Loki interrupted her grieving by transporting them again. Before them stretched a rainbow bridge, littered with the dead and dying of the battle. Some wore golden cloaks and armor, signifying their allegiance to the realm eternal. Others were trolls, demons, and even some frost giants.

Loki walked among the dead towards the walls that surrounded Asgard. Sif, still bound by the magics, was levitated behind him. Soon, the two reached the main gate, or what remained of it. The doors were torn apart by frost giants, evidently. Some Asgardian corpses remained, but two stood out to Sif and her captor.

Right before the opening to the gates, two men lay with multiple spears and arrows piercing their bodies. One wore a horned helm and grasped a sword still glowing with blue flame. The other wore simple gray armor that covered his body from the shoulders down and had a metal cup where his left hand should have been. The bodies were surrounded by piles upon piles of corpses, further evidence of their valiant, if futile, last stand. "Heimdall and Tyr, it seems, have fallen, too. Which of Asgard's valiant defenders remain, I wonder? Shall we find out, my lady?"

The god of evil and his beautiful prisoner disappeared again and found themselves at the front gates of the palace. Rubble was strewn everywhere, as support beams and walls had been destroyed by the invaders. Corpses of Asgardian soldiers were almost as numerous as those of the invading forces, most cut in half by what looked like a sword nearly two feet wide. Navigating through the battlefield, the two remaining Asgardians came upon another familiar corpse. "Ah, Balder the Brave, son of Odin and the god of light. How pathetic he looks in death, just as his brother, no doubt." Loki would have continued his mockery, but another corpse caught his eye.

Actually, it was not a corpse: rather, a suit of armor. This weapon was soulless, unyielding, and terrifying to behold. It stood eight feet tall and had nearly impenetrable armor. Its strength was greater than all of the gods of Asgard, and its speed was surprising given its size. Odin created it to serve as a weapon of the gods, but now the Destroyer had turned on its maker and slaughtered his subjects.

Someone had finally stopped its rampage, however. The armor was sliced in half, with its helm still flickering with magical power. Placing his hand on the head of the armor, Loki conjured its last memories. "Balder's death will be entertaining to watch one last time before the end of the worlds. He may have defeated the Destroyer, but I will get the last laugh." The memories appeared in a cloud of mist in front of the pair.

* * *

_Balder stood, bloodied and weakened from the intense battle. His sword was broken, his armor had been turned to nothing more than a few plates still clinging to his clothes. His left leg was broken as well as four of his ribs. Meanwhile, the Destroyer itself was untouched by the long battle. Balder was the only thing standing between the ungodly weapon and Odin's throne room. The enchanted armor moved forward to land the killing blow, but the god roared and landed an earth-shattering punch that sent it flying. Crashing into a pillar, the armor was almost immediately crushed by a section of falling ceiling._

_Balder's shoulders slumped, as the adrenaline from the battle began to abate and the pain of his wounds sunk in. His eyes filled with pain, but he staggered forward, his broken leg trailing behind. He slowly made his way to the pile of rubble, to ensure that his enemy was destroyed. Just as he made it, Balder's body simply couldn't handle the pain. The Destroyer had been enchanted to negate the protections Frigga had given him as a boy. He was actually harmed by the automaton's blows, which shocked him._

_He collapsed near the rubble. Balder waited for the sweet embrace of death, drifting slowly into oblivion. Suddenly, a massive armored hand burst from the rubble, grasping Balder in a tight embrace. Crying out in pain, the Asgardian saw the Destroyer rise from the trap he had made for it. A disembodied voice, Loki's voice, echoed from within the automaton. "Balder, did you honestly think you could beat me? Son of Odin, I wield the power of the Destroyer itself! Let me demonstrate!" Twin energy beams burst from the armor's visor, but Balder was not destroyed. He had stopped the beam with his hands._

"_What?! How?!" "I am the god of light, and I can turn your weapon against you, traitor!" With his hand acting as a kind of mirror, Balder reflected the beams away from him. Rotating his hand, Balder used the reflected beams to slice through the Destroyer's torso. The grip of the massive hand was suddenly gone, and Balder tumbled to the ground. He looked up to see the upper half of the automaton clawing its way into an upright position. Without a word, Balder picked himself up and began to limp towards the battered armor._

"_No, no, no! I was supposed to slay both of his sons with his own weapon, but now…" The Destroyer's master paused as another energy beam lanced out from its eyes. "Now, I will settle for your death, son of Asgard!" Catching the beam in his right hand, Balder staggered backwards. Loki had channeled what remained of the Destroyer's immense power into the attack. The sheer amount of energy released was too much for Balder to bear. However, before he collapsed, he sent a good portion of the energy back into the Destroyer's helm, finally defeating the unstoppable automaton. Smiling as he collapsed into unconsciousness, Balder stopped breathing soon after._

* * *

Angered, Loki dissolved the cloud of mist with a wave of his hand. The weapon was now useless for further attacks on Asgard. It was inconsequential now, however. "Come Sif. Let us witness the coming of Ragnarok together." Lifting his captive into the air again, Loki pulled her along towards the doors to the throne room itself. The throne room entryway was flanked by two stone sentinels.

One was clearly male with a long beard and stern features. His armor was magnificent, adorned with the emblem of the ruling house: the World Tree. His right eye was covered by an eye patch which concealed the empty socket. In his right hand was a mighty spear, six feet long and with a gem in the spearhead. There were Asgardian engravings on the shaft: _Hail the All Father, King of Asgard!_

The second statue was also a male, but with long hair that reached down to beyond his shoulders. He wore a helmet with wings and heavy plate armor which covered only his chest. His arms were covered by a type of scale mail, as were his legs. A long cape flowed down to his ankles, completing his outfit. The statue was lifting a hammer with a short handle above its head. Similar Asgardian runes were engraved on the hammer as well. They read, "_Whosever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor_."

The doors to the throne room were carved to bits, the metal remnants scattered across the floor. The kind of force required to do this was extraordinary. _Only a few beings in the Nine Realms could pierce the enchantments that protected the throne room_, Loki thought. _Surtur has done it, at last._ The god of mischief smiled, his lifelong goals finally accomplished.

"Come, Sif. We mustn't keep the All Father waiting now." The two strode into the throne room, and immediately saw the destruction. Flames were consuming the edges of the room. One third of the room was collapsed, the rubble clogging the other two thirds. The roof was blown outwards as some kind of energy wave emanated from the center of the room. The pair, captor and captive, made their way to the throne itself.

Halfway there, they came upon a self-contained inferno. They could barely make out the shape of a body inside it. "Surtur is dead? Amazing. I never thought I would see the end of days. And what is this?" Loki walked over to a collection of metal shards near the inferno. "The Twilight Sword… It's shattered. The amount of power required to do this must mean that the All Father prevailed. How unfortunate." The two kept on moving towards the throne.

In front of the throne, Sif broke down in tears. "NO!" The body lay on the golden seat, bleeding from various wounds. They seemed to be inflicted by a sword, and were most definitely the cause of death. The body was very familiar: he wore a golden eye patch over his right eye. The mysterious energy wave emanated from him, as the power he once wielded tore Asgard apart. Loki broke out into laughter. "So, the All Father is dead. Ragnarok has come at last!" He walked up to the throne, prying something unseen to Sif from Odin's right hand.

Loki turned to face Sif again, showing her the object he was carrying: a four foot long sword which glowed gold. The runes engraved in the sword were radiating pure mystical energy. "The Odinsword, my dear lady. This sign portends the end of… everything. Excellent. Now, I am the rightful ruler of Asgard!" Throwing the sword away, another object caught his eye.

He lifted the spear above his head, and smiled. "Gungnir is mine!" In his rush to grab the spear, the enchantments holding Sif hostage fell and she acted quickly. Drawing the dagger on her belt, the warrior charged. Loki acted quickly, twisting to the left to dodge her assault. Channeling his power through Gungnir, Loki recaptured the warrior in a stronger web of magical energy.

"Now, now, we wouldn't want to do that? Sif, with the death of Odin, we are the last Asgardians. However, that, as the mortals say, throws a wrench into my plans. Shall we rectify that?" He spun the spear around and stabbed the warrior princess in her gut. Sif cried out in pain as the spearhead was yanked out. Blood flowed freely from the wound as she crumpled to the ground. Her attacker knelt to speak with her one last time. "Any last words to say, my dear lady?" His mocking tone grated on her ears, and she gathered the strength to spit in his face.

"I am not afraid of death, trickster. But you should be. For I go to Valhalla, while Niffleheim claims your soul." She coughed up blood as her condition worsened. Death would claim her soon.

"Oh, really? Ragnarok will undo everything, including Valhalla. We are all doomed. So, I will never have to experience Niffleheim, and Valhalla's doors are closed to you as well. I win, Sif. Accept it." The god turned away to look at the throne of Asgard one last time. "I have outlasted them all, from Surtur to Ymir and even the mighty All Father himself. No one is left to stand against me." Loki raised his fist in triumph. "Even the heroes of Midgard have fallen. I can see out across the void to witness their world burn. It is glorious. I am victorious, at last!"

Sif laughed. "I guess you did not hear that, then." Loki turned to face her again. "Hear what?"

"Thunder."

Suddenly, gale-force winds struck the Trickster and sent him flying. Loki managed to throw up an energy barrier to protect him from the worst, but he still tumbled for at least a hundred feet. The fallen god picked himself up to witness his worst fears come to life. _He_ had arrived.

The light from the fires reflected off his magnificent armor, making it gleam in the darkness of the storm above. His blond hair came down to his shoulders, flowing freely in the wind. The helm he wore bore wings stretching to the sky. The red cape he wore fluttered about him as he landed on the ground next to Sif.

The Thunderer had returned to Asgard.

Thor knelt down to cradle Sif in his arms. "Sif, my love…" She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. Tears welled in Thor's eyes as his wife struggled to speak. "Thor, I will always be there for you. I will… always… lo-" Her voice cut off as she passed on. Thor blinked away his tears and shut her eyes. Placing her body gently upon the ground, he rose and turned to the Trickster.

Rage flickered in his eyes as he laid his eyes upon his wife's killer. Stretching his hand to the heavens, the god of thunder waited. The god of mischief knew what came next. He always hated it when Thor did this.

A hammer flew from the gathering storm at incredible speed towards Thor. His hand closed around Mjolnir's handle as the storm intensified. "Brother! You did this!" The trickster could feel the energy crackling around him as Thor summoned the full power of the storm. Lightning struck the hammer, charging it with pure elemental energy. "FOR ASGARD!" Thor sprung forth with inhuman speed towards his hated foe. Before his opponent could even blink, Thor slammed the hammer with all his fury into his brother.

Loki shielded himself as best he could, but the full power of Mjolnir shattered his defenses. Loki flew for another two hundred feet before coming to a stop, bruised and battered. Before he could pick himself up, a hand clenched his throat and Loki was hauled up into the air. Thor began to squeeze, choking Loki to keep him subdued. He lifted Mjolnir high into the air, summoning even more power from the storm.

Then, something extraordinary happened. Mjolnir, and then Thor, began to glow. A golden aura surrounded the prince of Asgard and his mighty weapon. This was enough to draw Thor's attention from Loki. He let go of the trickster god and stared at his glowing hands. Not wasting a moment, Loki vanished in a flash of light and reappeared two hundred feet away wielding the spear of Gungnir. "Now, son of Odin, feel my wrath!" He channeled his power through the spear, firing a massive energy blast at Thor.

Thor turned to face the blast head on without reacting in the slightest. The attack detonated and sent a cloud of dust and debris into the air. Loki smirked. _No one, not even the mighty Thor, could have taken a blast like that head on without sustaining serious damage. Was it really that easy?_

"LOKI!" A figure began to form in the dust cloud and Loki was awestruck. Thor strode into view, not a hair out of place. The power of the blast hadn't even fazed him. _Not even on his best day could he do this, and he has been in battle for days. How is this possible?_ Fear crept into Loki's thoughts as the Thunderer strode towards him.

Loki's magic surged through Gungnir again as a continuous green beam of energy struck Thor in the chest. Loki kept up the assault, hoping to bring Thor to his knees. Instead, Thor continued to walk towards his foe, unaffected by the attack. He bellowed again. "LOKI! You will pay for this affront!"

Raising his right hand, Thor sent a blast of golden energy towards Loki. Loki ceased his futile attack and redirected his magic to form a ball of energy around him. Thor's blast struck the energy barrier just as Loki solidified it. The golden ball of energy broke through the barrier like a bullet breaking glass and struck the god of evil in the chest.

An explosion of immense proportions propelled Loki to the other side of the throne room. He struck the far wall and crumpled to the floor twenty feet below. _My magic is useless against him_. His thoughts were interrupted by a hand roughly lifting him up by the collar. A second later, Thor's blue eyes filled Loki's vision as the Thunderer brought him in close.

"Loki Laufeyson, you have brought Ragnarok down upon the realm eternal. I would tear thee apart villain." Thor's voice sounded like hundreds of voices speaking at once, and his eyes began to glow gold. He threw Loki to the ground and raised Mjolnir to the sky once more. Lightning charged the weapon again as Thor prepared to deal the killing blow. Loki braced himself, pushing his fear away one last time.

Thor brought the hammer down towards Loki, his golden eyes shining brilliantly. Before the blow made contact, Thor stopped himself. _It is almost like he's fighting himself, _Loki remarked in his mind. Thor's eyes stopped glowing and the built up energy inside Mjolnir dissipated. "I cannot believe that…" Thor's voice had returned to normal as well.

Loki began to laugh maniacally. "Even with all the power in the world, you still cannot bring yourself to do it. I still win!" His laughter continued to irritate Thor, who summoned a band of magical energy to gag him. "Silence yourself, brother." The last word was spat out, as if it was a curse. With Loki silenced, Thor disappeared in a flash of light.

Searching the room for Thor, Loki found him cradling his wife's dead body in his lap. Walking up to Thor, Loki smiled mockingly as if to insult the thunder god one last time. Thor stood and dissipated the gag with a wave of his hand. "Loki, how do we reverse this? I control the Odin Force. Surely I can stop Ragnarok." Thor had pleaded with his erstwhile brother for help.

"Oh Thor, your hope is admirable but misplaced. Ragnarok is but the end of a cycle. Surtur and Odin fight, they destroy each other, and the ensuing release of energy rips the universe apart. Once the Nine Realms are destroyed, they will reform and the cycle begins anew. There is no stopping it. It is the will of the universe." Loki took joy in the impact his words had on Thor. Tears welled up in Thor's eyes as he realized what Loki had said.

"I abandoned Asgard in her time of need. The fault is mine, not thine. The All Father is slain and I am to blame. If not for my departure, Surtur would be vanquished." Thor gripped Mjolnir so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Loki reveled in Thor's suffering. _I am the god of mischief, after all._ For a few minutes, Thor stared blankly into the sky, watching the cracks in reality grow. Loki took the time to retrieve Gungnir and summon a vision of Midgard.

The Trickster watched the few remaining heroes of Midgard fight against the endless tide of fire demons. The Iron Man fired blasts at the enemy, dissipating them with the surges of energy. The monster roared and smashed the demons with his large green fists to ward them off. The panther threw purple daggers humming with energy into the chest of a larger demon, killing it instantly. A circular shield painted red, white and blue with a star in the middle lay on the ground, untouched by the fires raging around it.

_Midgard and Asgard: the last two bastions of resistance. How do the mortals do it?_ Loki waved his hand through the cloud of mist to dissipate the vision. Looking up at Thor, Loki wondered if he should attack again. _It would be impossible to defeat him while he's empowered with the Odin Force._ _And we will all be dead in a few minutes anyway._ Loki decided to simply savor his victory before his destruction. His magic was protecting him from the reality wave for now, but soon it would overpower his enchantments and unmake him.

Thor would survive for a little while longer, protected by the Odin Force, but it was impossible to outlast the apocalypse itself. Then Asgard and the other realms, all of reality, would be destroyed. _I will accomplish my destiny, just as the World Tree revealed to me_. A sudden tremor shook Loki out of his trance. _What is going on? Is reality degraded that much already?_

Loki glanced into the sky to look at the cracks in the sky, but something extraordinary caught his eye. Thor was levitating in the middle of the storm, concentrating. Mjolnir floated in front of him as he channeled the Odin Force through it. The hammer glowed gold and then pulsed with the cosmic powers of the All Father. Thor's eyes flashed open, glowing gold as they had before.

_What does he mean to accomplish?_ Loki remembered what Thor had asked him before: could the Odin Force save the Nine Realms? _No, the fool!_ Loki summoned the strength to fly towards Thor. He was truly desperate, his eyes looking like those of a wild animal. _I cannot harm him while he wields the Odin Force, but if I can disrupt his concentration… _The god of mischief summoned his full and terrible power, which broke the enchantment keeping his true form hidden. His skin turned blue, his eyes shone bright red, and his black hair became as white as snow. Loki had sacrificed his Asgardian disguise for every ounce of power he had.

Channeling all of his power into Gungnir, Loki fired a blast that could destroy half of a continent directly at Thor. Thor was deep in concentration, and for a few moments Loki believed that his plan would succeed. Loki fell to the ground, exhausted. Then the blast struck.

The shock wave from the blast ripped into the palace's foundations, caving in the throne room completely. The light blinded Loki for an instant, and he couldn't see if it worked. Loki rubbed his eyes and squinted. Panic filled his eyes as the truth unfolded in front of his eyes. The god of mischief collapsed to the ground in defeat. _No…_

Thor was surrounded in a golden energy field which shielded him completely. Loki's plan had failed. The aura surrounding Mjolnir began to pulse faster as Thor's efforts reached their climax. In desperation, Loki used his ace in the hole. Concentrating, he reached out with all his willpower and absorbed all of the resonant magic in Asgard from the deceased combatants. His Asgardian form returned as his power returned to maximum.

Standing up, Loki began to mutter incantations under his breath. This spell would take nearly all of his energy, but it could save him from Thor's plan. In the few moments before he attacked, Loki had communed with the World Tree and seen the results of Thor's efforts. _I have to save myself._

As he muttered the last incantation, Loki used Gungnir to slice the interdimensional barriers open in front of him. A portal opened up in front of him, just as a massive energy wave erupted from Mjolnir. Thor was swallowed up by the wave, as was Mjolnir. Loki felt fear course through his veins once again and leaped into the portal without a second thought. As the portal closed behind him, the wave overtook the space the portal occupied. A surge of energy followed Loki through the portal and knocked him unconscious.

* * *

In the present day, Loki awoke from his trance. He finally remembered what happened. _Thor doomed me to this prison._ Loki spoke aloud, as if talking to a phantom in the room. "Why have I awoken now? What had changed in the world outside this room?"

As if the room heard him, a window appeared on one of the walls. Loki strode over to it and looked through it. His eyes narrowed in anger as the god of mischief saw the outside world for the first time in millennia. "THOR! You will pay!" Loki pointed Gungnir at another wall and fired a bolt of green energy from the spear. As the bolt struck, a simple door appeared.

"Now, brother, I will destroy this world you have created and then rebuild the Nine Realms. My destiny is never changing. I am the harbinger of Ragnarok." Loki laughed maniacally as he stepped through the open door and out of the room.

* * *

**Republic City  
****171 ASC**

The portal opened in the alleyway, startling three hoboes. Loki emerged from the dimensional doorway, further terrifying the occupants of the alley. He walked over to one of the men and lifted him up by the collar. "When can I find Thor the Thunderer?" He spat the last words out as he poked the spear into the man's chest.

"Who?" The response both angered and confused Loki. He stabbed the man in the chest with Gungnir, which killed him instantly. The other two homeless men attempted to flee, before Loki blasted them apart with the spear. _He didn't know of Thor. Could it be true? Is Thor gone?_ Loki closed his eyes and mentally scanned the planet for Mjolnir's energy signature.

It took him several minutes, but Loki finally found Mjolnir. Its energy was faint, but Loki could still transport there. Slamming Gungnir in the ground, he willed himself to move across the world. Just as he began to concentrate, two strangely armored men dropped from the roof and pointed their hands at Loki. "This is the police. Freeze, dirtbag!"

They both fired metal cables at Loki, who was astonished. The policemen were controlling the cables with their minds. Just as the cables wrapped around the god, he finished his transport spell. Loki disappeared in a flash of light and cloud of green smoke, startling the officers. "Where'd he go?"

* * *

**Si Wong Desert**

A scorpion crawled across the ground as Loki phased into existence again. Sand blew into his eyes as the god scanned the surrounding area for his target. The midday sun beat down upon him and the wind threatened to knock him over with its sheer intensity. The elements would not deter him, though. Loki slammed Gungnir into the ground, creating a dome of energy around him to keep out the wind and sand. _Now, where was I?_

After a few minutes of searching in vain, Loki stumbled on to his prize: a crater nearly fifty feet wide and twenty feet deep in the sand. It looked as if it had formed recently, as the sandstorms common to the region had not filled it in yet. In the middle of the crater lay a hammer with the handle pointing towards the sky. The head of the hammer was a plain gray metal with bands of Asgardian runes engraved into the weapon. The handle was short, which meant that the weapon was to be wielded with only one hand.

_Mjolnir. So he is still alive._ Loki walked up to the weapon and examined it. _It arrived on Midgard at the same time I did. Remarkable. But why?_ He began to focus his mind, searching for mystical energies throughout the world. Loki was already taxed by his previous uses of this ability, but he required answers. Remarkably, he discovered two major sources of energy: one at each terrestrial pole.

The amount of energy given off was astonishing. _I must investigate._ Using Gungnir, he once again ripped open a portal in the very fabric of reality. Stepping through the hole in space, the Trickster emerged in a vastly different land.

* * *

**South Pole**

The vast tundra surrounding him reminded Loki of the frigid wastes of Jotunheim. The cold wind pierced his clothes, but he felt nothing. The Frost Giant in him reveled in the ice and snow. Loki turned to see a forest in the middle of a snow storm, a contradiction not found naturally. Surrounding the forest were signs of a great battle. Icicle spikes and metal debris littered the lands around the forest. What appeared to be a primitive plane had crashed in a snow drift not far from Loki. Most strangely, suits of armor on treads lay scattered about the encampment, powered down or ripped apart by what seemed like explosives. Loki turned his attention skyward, as he found what he had come for.

A pillar of light stretched from the middle of the forest to heights Loki could not even see with his own eyes. Even at Loki's distance, the mystical energy radiating outward from the pillar could be felt in the air. It was so great that he could almost see it around him. Loki began to trudge through the snow and ice towards the mysterious beam of energy. As he reached the edge of the forest, he noticed signs of fortifications built out of ice and scorch marks on trees.

_A great battle was fought here not long ago. But why?_ Loki pushed aside his nagging doubts and moved into the forest itself. Following an ancient footpath, he soon reached the center of the arboreal mystery. At the middle of the forest, the beam of light seemed to erupt from the ground itself and continue towards the heavens. Curious, Loki reached out to touch the pillar of energy.

His hand passed through the pillar and vanished from sight. Loki recognized the sensation and stepped into the light entirely. In an instant, he was transported into a wasteland. Mountains encircled the plain, ascending into jagged peaks. Rock formations spiraled outwards from the pillar of light behind Loki in a counterclockwise direction. Streams of water trickled through the plain, adding a pleasant atmosphere to the otherwise desolate landscape.

At the middle of the wasteland stood a massive tree. Its roots reached deep into the earth, its branches stretching high into the sky. Loki's eyes widened, his heart racing. _It can't be…_ The Asgardian vanished in a cloud of green smoke and reappeared at the base of the tree. A hollow in the trunk caught his attention. As soon as Loki touched the bark to climb towards the cavity, a backlash of mystical energy sent him reeling in shock.

Collapsing to the ground, he held his head in his hands as visions began to filter into his thoughts. Images of men blasting fire from their palms, an arc of golden energy cutting across a purple sky, and a young woman with glowing white eyes filled his mind. The pain was unbearable, as if thousands of years of history were filling his head at once. "Enough!" The god of mischief focused his mind and dispelled the visions.

After a few seconds, Loki managed to pull himself up and begin to climb the tree towards the hollow. Every breath, every step he took, added to the pain raging inside his skull. Five feet from the cavity, he couldn't handle the shear agony anymore and collapsed. With one last burst of energy, Loki dug his fingers into the bark and pulled himself into the hollow. Once he was inside, the visions and pain that came with them stopped for an instant.

Loki stood up shakily, as if he had been struck with Mjolnir in the temple. Clenching his right fist, he summoned Gungnir to his left hand with a flick of the wrist. The golden spear of Odin shimmered into existence as the visions returned. _So much for a respite… I only have one chance._ Slamming the spearhead into the bark, Loki channeled mystical energy from the tree through the spear. The visions continued unabated, but the pain dissipated.

Loki had surmised that the tree was channeling the visions through the mystical energy it gave off. By channeling the energy through Gungnir, he was able to stabilize the influx of information and dispel his mental torment. Loki closed his eyes and witnessed the visions the World Tree granted him. After several minutes, he opened his eyes and smiled. _Finally._


	2. Chapter 1: A Change of Heart

**Republic City  
****170 AG**

Wang Jun Gao drove down the street in his fancy Satomobile, speeding past the slower automobiles and trucks clogging the road. His black hair whipped about in the wind as he shifted up a gear. The twenty year old genius had just crossed the Silk Road Bridge and was moving along the waterfront towards his company's warehouse. Tuning the radio to his favorite jazz station, he put his left hand out the window and let it rest on the outside of the door. Suddenly, the emergency beacons began to blare and the music cut away.

The terrified voice of Shiro Shinobi replaced the smooth jazz music. "Attention citizens of Republic City, this is not a drill. The Equalists have begun an all-out assault on the city. All citizens are encouraged to-" The radio broadcast became static as if someone flipped a switch somewhere. Gao narrowed his eyes and shifted up a gear again. The Satomobile flew down the road, swerving around stopped cars. Explosions could be seen and heard in the distance as he raced down the road to his warehouse.

_The Equalists cannot get their hands on my tech_. The industrialist looked out over the harbor, where two different police airships were turning towards land. Suddenly, an explosion tore through the engines of one of the airships. The other airship continued towards the city as its damaged comrade plummeted towards the bay. Gao could hear the warning klaxons faintly as metalbenders and other crew members abandoned ship. The vessel plunged bow first into the ice cold waters. The crippled airship began to sink, but Wang could just barely make out life rafts in the surrounding waters. _Only a little further…_

As he reached the warehouse, another airship came into sight. This one, however, was heading towards the bay and was emblazoned with the Equalist symbol. Two booms were heard as the Equalist airship fired fore-mounted cannons at its police counterpart. _My cannons. No!_

One of the armor-piercing rounds missed completely, but the craft wasn't out of the woods yet. The second shell ripped into the engines at the rear of the airship. The round detonated inside the airship, the aft section erupting into flames and smoke. The resulting explosion disabled the airship's engines and sent it into a spiral. Wang slammed the accelerator all the way to the floor, panic finally settling in.

The pilots managed to stabilize the airship with the emergency propellers. The police vessel slowly straightened its flight path, and began to limp away to the south. It was most likely heading towards the police airfield at the south end of the bay. The Equalist airship continued its pursuit, preparing to fire again. Several metalbenders from the police airship tried boarding the Equalist aircraft with their metal cables. Before Gao turned away from the battle, he saw the flash of the Equalist cannons firing again. The booming sound of the guns reached him less than a second later.

Gao slowed to a stop as police trucks rolled out of a depot near the docks, carrying officers to combat the Equalists. He turned his head to look for the police airship again. The sight horrified him: the airship had been ripped in two by the explosive rounds. The separate halves had crashed into the bay and sank slowly as distant cries for help reverberated across the water. Soon, the police trucks had left and Wang shifted the car back into gear.

He turned the dial on the radio and tuned into the police channel. "This is unit 27 at Central Station. I'm reporting two different columns of Equalist mecha tanks converging on my position, over." "Copy that, unit 27, this is command. Report on any further Equalist troop movements, over." "Roger that, command. Two additional Equalist airships have been sighted coming down from the mountains. Where's that air support we requested, over?"

"Negative on that air support, unit 27. Air units 2 and 9 are unable to respond. Command requests that you disable all rail lines into and out of the station, over." "Command, this is unit 19! We are engaging hostiles on the Hakoda Memorial Bridge! We report ten mecha tanks and over forty Equalists on foot. We request backup, over!"

The Equalist airship had turned back from the bay, heading back towards the heart of the city. As it made landfall, Equalists deployed from the craft, using parachutes to make landfall. Two mecha tanks had rolled out of the craft's cargo bay and floated down using glider-like airfoils. It was now clear that the Equalists had completely overwhelmed the city's defenders if they could attack the harbor with impunity. _This makes recovering my tech even more important._

Gao pulled up in front of his warehouse just as the two mecha tanks touched down a few thousand feet away. Civilians rushed past him, screaming as Equalist troops began to storm the port. Bombs were going off, the mecha tanks were firing electrified bolas into the crowd. The chaos swept through the port like a hurricane. Workers and other civilians caught in the line of fire ran, terrified, from the Equalists.

The industrialist ignored the fleeing masses and ran towards the warehouse entrance. Suddenly, without warning, two objects landed in front of him. He had a second to register what they actually were: they were hand grenades with the symbol of Gao Industries emblazoned on the side. His eyes widened as the explosives detonated.

* * *

**Two Days Later  
****Central Hospital**

Wang Jun Gao came to slowly, as if walking out of a dense fog. His head was fuzzy from the drugs the hospital had given him, making it hard to focus. His chest felt as if a saber tooth moose-lion had clawed his heart out. Barely managing to lift his head from the hospital bed, Wang noticed that his chest was wrapped in clean white bandages. An electrical wire fed into the bandages, attaching to something beneath them. Weakly turning his head to follow the wire, Wang saw the wire's terminus: a car battery.

His heart rate increased as panic set in. _What happened to me?_ Wang tried desperately to sit up and was forced to stop as pain lanced throughout his body. Two doctors rushed into the room as the heart monitor spiked. One, a dark-haired woman, filled a syringe with a clear liquid while the male doctor held him down. "Mister Gao, please calm down. Your body can't take this kind of stress."

She walked over and grabbed Wang's right arm. Finding a vein, she injected the clear liquid into his bloodstream. Wang continued to struggle, but suddenly felt woozy. He felt his eyes sliding shut and tried to fight the effects of the drug. Unsuccessful, the business tycoon slid back into a deep slumber.

**Several Hours Later**

Wang awoke suddenly, fleeing the nightmares that had plagued him the entire night. He noticed that his hospital bed had been moved next to a window. He sat up in his bed, taking in the fresh air of the city. The sunlight danced across his face, the wind softly touched his skin. _I feel so… secure._ He reached his left hand out towards the sun, taking in its warmth. The pain in his chest was almost gone, but the bandages and wires still remained.

The female doctor was in the room with him, writing something on his chart. She noticed her patient sitting up and smiled. "Ah, Mister Gao, you're awake. Welcome back to the world of the living." Wang smiled faintly and pointed to his chest. "What happened?"

"When the Equalists were securing the docks, they found you unconscious under a pile of rubble. After they recognized your face from the newspapers, they brought you in for emergency care. We quickly treated your external injuries, but it's the internal ones that concern us." She walked over to the x-ray illuminator and pointed excitedly at the photo of Wang's chest.

Wang winced and grabbed his chest, as if remembering the pain again. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up slowly. Wang grabbed the windowsill for support and drew himself up. The effort took more out of him than he thought it would. Wang found himself breathing quite heavily, and his legs felt like lead. The doctor did not notice his discomfort, however, and kept speaking like an excited child.

"You have shrapnel embedded near your heart, and it was moving closer to it every minute. We couldn't remove it safely, so we opted to stop its movement through your chest cavity. I installed an electromagnet in your chest, powered by a simple car battery. We had to keep you sedated, but…" Wang had had enough. He cut her off abruptly: he simply had to know.

"What happened to the city? Last thing I remember was the Equalists invading. Did the police stop them?" Wang turned to the window and stared out over the city. It was quiet, almost too quiet for the metropolis. No Satomobiles were honking their horns, the low thrum of heavy machinery from the industrial district had fallen silent. No police airships floated across the sky. It was as if the city was asleep.

"No, my friend, Republic City has indeed been equalized." Wang's eyes widened. _I've heard that voice on the radio_. Turning back towards the doctor, Wang saw _him_. The one who had unlocked the mysteries of the spirits. The man who had terrorized the benders of the world with stories of his amazing power. The self-proclaimed messiah of the non-benders. Amon.

"Please, sit, Mister Gao. I merely wish to speak with you." The masked man gestured to the hospital bed. Wang walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it slowly. Fear had settled into the young man's heart. _What is Amon doing here? This is the heart of the city. If he is showing his face here in broad daylight, then it really is true. The Equalists won._

"Now, Mister Gao, you are probably very confused and anxious to hear what happened." Amon paused just long enough for Wang to interrupt. "You have no idea, monster." The comment made the doctor gasp in shock. Not many people could talk to Amon that way without consequences. Instead of retaliating violently, the Equalist leader simply turned to the woman. "Miss, if you wouldn't mind…"

The doctor understood what he meant and quickly vacated the room. She closed the door behind her, leaving the two alone. An eerie silence fell over the room, as Amon stared out the window and Wang glared daggers at him. Amon turned to face Wang after a good minute of silence. _He betrays nothing: his body language is so… ominous. And that mask…_ _It's like staring into the face of terror itself._

Amon spoke calmly. "So, Mister Gao, you think me a monster? Do you even understand what I am trying to do? I have torn down the corrupt system that has oppressed our kind for countless generations. For the first time, non-benders have the power to reshape the world. Republic City… It's just the start. Every day, the Equalists grow in strength and numbers, and soon, we will equalize the world!" He held his fist up in triumph as he finished his sentence.

Wang chuckled softly and shook his head in disbelief. "So, it is true. You are insane. Do you honestly believe that your little crusade will rid the world of violence? You are a madman and a fool." Amon crossed over to Wang and set a hand on his shoulder.

"Mister Gao, I am not a madman, and I am no fool. I understand the dark truth that so many benders fail to recognize: the only way to equalize the world is through force. We have already equalized most of the city's benders. Few remain to oppose our revolution. Soon, a new era will begin."

"Who will run this brave new world? You can't just tear down the entire world without a plan to rebuild it." "I can assure you, Mister Gao. We have been preparing for this day. I will rule in the name of the people until they can rule themselves. Republic City will be the center of the new world order." Amon walked back to the window and gestured with his arm to illustrate his point.

Wang stood up and joined Amon at the window. Looking out over the city, Wang saw the changes the Equalists had installed. Instead of police airships patrolling the skies, Equalist airships now watched the city from above. Mecha tanks and chi blockers patrolled the streets, enforcing the new laws of Amon and the Equalist occupation. Two blocks from the hospital, a squad of Equalists had raided an apartment building, looking for benders. Several suspects had been put in commandeered police vans, awaiting transport.

"Mister Gao, in this world, your genius and your innovation will be essential to our cause. With your technology, we can reshape the world. Why do you continue to support those who oppress your fellow man? The bending elite are cowards and liars. But you, you have made a name for yourself. You can be counted among the world's greatest industrialists, possibly the best. Even Mister Sato agrees with me."

"Why do I side with the benders? Well, the truth is I don't. I want the world to change, to become more equal. But what you are doing is wrong. Stripping people of their talents, subjugating them simply because of their birth, it's wrong no matter what side you are on. I want to use my gifts to reshape the world, to give non-benders equality through peace, not war. That is why I will never support you." He pointed a finger at Amon accusingly. "You threaten to galvanize the benders into action, and it will not be kind. What do you think will happen when the United Forces arrive, or the militaries of the other nations? They will exterminate you and your supporters, and then it will be the same as it always was."

Amon paused and shook his head. "You are wrong, young man. The United Forces are arriving tomorrow morning, with a full fleet of battleships to reclaim this city for the benders. They will find it rather difficult to make landfall." Without another word, Amon stepped away from the window and walked to the door. As he grasped the handle, he turned to face Wang one last time.

"Change is in the air, brother. It is like a rising tide. You must rise with it or be swept out to sea. The choice is yours." Without another word, Amon left the room, leaving Wang to ponder the meaning of his words.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Wang had been released from the hospital soon after Amon's visit, and was allowed to return to his penthouse apartment, albeit under heavy guard. The mysterious man known only as the Lieutenant had set up his security detail. "You are lucky. The only people in the city this well-guarded are Hiroshi Sato and Amon himself. I hope that you appreciate Amon's kindness."

As the Lieutenant turned away, Wang grabbed his shoulder. "Wait. I want you to tell Amon…" He paused, causing the Lieutenant to lean in closely. "…that I apologize for my behavior and that I thank him for his kindness. I hope that I may see him again soon." He bowed in the customary Fire Nation salutation. The Lieutenant simply nodded and continued to walk away.

Wang had left the hospital in his custom Satomobile, which Equalists had retrieved from the docks and brought to the hospital's garage. Accompanying him were eight Equalists. Two, Tai and Ji, were fully trained chi blockers, veterans of the long insurgency against the authorities in the city. Another two, whose names Wang did not know, drove two mecha tanks which flanked the Satomobile at all times. The remaining four were in training, recent recruits to Amon's crusade. One of the four stood out among the rest: Yang had been studying at Tong University near Yu Dao to the south when tragic news reached him.

His parents had been killed by Triple Threat Triad gangsters, victims of a simple mugging. In his grief, he joined the forces of the anti-bending revolution and had fought in the climactic battle for the metropolis. Yang had proved himself to be a gifted combatant and had been honored by Amon himself in a ceremony honoring Equalist soldiers who had fought in the battle. However, there was one trait that singled him out from the rest: his hero worship of Wang Jun Gao.

"Mister Gao, could I take a picture with you? My friends at Tong are not going to believe this!" Wang sighed as he walked around his spacious apartment in the heart of the city. Yang asked the same question every ten minutes, and Wang pretended not to listen. All he could think about was Amon's plan for the city.

_How could the Equalists take out an entire fleet of battleships? Maybe one or two with their airships, but they're not fighting the police. The United Forces have enough firepower to torch the Equalist air armada and unload their army at the docks. So why was Amon so assured of his final victory?_ His curiosity had to be satisfied.

"Yang, could you do me a favor?"

"Anything for you, Mister Gao."

"I need to go to the harbor, to my warehouse. Now."

* * *

Stepping out of his Satomobile, Wang sighed. "I just don't see why I can't drive my own car."

Tai and Ji both stepped off their motorcycles and pulled off their masks. Tai answered Wang's question. "It's for your own protection, sir. Besides, Yang is an excellent driver." Upon hearing his name, the young recruit jumped out of the driver's seat, a smile blossoming on his face.

"Thank you, sir. It really was an honor to drive your car, Mister Gao. I never thought I would see that little traffic in the city, though. What is up with that?" He scratched his head and looked inquisitively at Tai and Ji.

"Amon has ordered all non-Equalist vehicles to clear the streets for the duration of the emergency. It's all for the people's protection, Yang."

Wang ignored the conversation and stepped towards the warehouse. He carried the car battery keeping him alive in a bag on his back. _It's so inconvenient. Maybe I could use a small generator, like the Lieutenant has for his kali sticks._ Stepping over debris from the battle, Wang reached the door and turned the handle. Stepping inside his warehouse, the young tycoon was astounded. Dozens of workers were swarming throughout the massive building, cataloging every single piece of equipment. He counted at least a dozen chi blockers overseeing the process.

"Welcome, Mister Gao." The young business tycoon turned back to the door to see Amon entering the building. "Tai and Ji informed me that you wished to see your warehouse. I was the one who granted your request, but I wanted to be here to explain."

"Explain what? How you are stealing _my tech_? How is this respecting the rights of non-benders, Amon? I knew it the instant I saw your airships fire cannons at the police. You've been using my tech without my knowledge!" Wang pulled back his arm to punch Amon in the face, but was held back by Tai and Ji.

"No, Mister Gao, you are wrong. I bought those cannons legally. Or rather, my good friend Hiroshi Sato did. Your work with weapons is indeed brilliant, but I would not stoop so long as to steal from my fellow man. I am not some common _bending_ criminal. I would never use your technology without your approval. You are a brother to me, just like the rest of the non-bending world."

"Then what is this, Amon? I want to know." Wang had calmed down, and was curious as to Amon's intentions.

"I merely wanted to see what you were building, and how it could help the revolution. Your work with cannons and these… firearms, it is nothing short of remarkable. Think of the possibilities. Your technology could do more than level the playing field: it could tip the scales in our favor once and for all. I extend you my offer once again: join our revolution."

Wang took a few seconds to respond. Instead of using words, he simply spat in Amon's face. "Never."

Ji acted quickly. She struck Wang in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Before Tai could join in, Amon placed a hand on the Equalist's shoulder. "No, my brother. We will never oppress our fellow man with our power. But it does appear you need to be convinced, Mister Gao. Come with me."

The two stepped outside, and Amon gestured out towards the harbor. "You said yesterday that my forces could never hold the city. Now, we put your theory to the test." A thick fog had descended over the city, obscuring the bay as well. Wang noticed something ominous: the absolute stillness that had descended on the city. Even without the roar of the factories or the low hum of the Satomobiles, the Equalist machines still broke the silence, usually. However, no airships were in sight over the city, and the numerous mecha tanks that were stationed around the harbor earlier had vanished. _What is going on?_

Suddenly, out of the fog surrounding Air Temple Island, a ship appeared out of the haze. Wang's spirits lifted when he saw the tell-tale bows, decorated with large golden dragons. _The United Forces have arrived._ The battleship was joined by nine others coming into the light, and Wang smiled. The United Forces ships had swung south around the air temple and were steaming at full speed towards the city.

Wang turned to see Amon's reaction, but was surprised by what he saw. Amon calmly looked out over the water and turned towards Tai and Ji. "Remember these moments, my brother and sister: this day, the Equalists claim Republic City." Wang's eyes widened in fear and he scanned the horizon for Equalist activity.

Flashes of light lit up the horizon near the ships. Seconds later, the sounds of the explosions reached Wang. _Naval mines_. His hands clenched into fists, anger and fear filling his heart. Wang was so consumed by his rage that he didn't notice the strange, fast-moving aircraft bearing down on the fleet from the east. Suddenly, two dozen of the aircraft began to attack the fleet from above. Explosions from dive bombs and torpedoes filled the air with fire and smoke. Wang was forced to watch as the tightly clustered battleships were taken out, one by one.

It only took the Equalists minutes after the initial attack to completely annihilate the naval force. All ten battleships were now sinking to the bottom of Yue Bay. _No, it can't be…_ Wang unleashed his rage and despair at the closest target: Amon. "You bastard! How could you?!" He unleashed a devastating right hook to Amon's jaw, catching the Equalist leader by surprise. Before Wang could strike again, a series of quick jabs from the two chi blockers made him feel light headed and unable to move. He was already out for the count before he hit the ground. The last thing he saw before lapsing into unconsciousness was Amon's gray eyes calmly staring at him from behind the mask.

* * *

**Republic City  
****Spring, 178 AG**

Wang woke from his vivid dreams with a start, covered in sweat. _Every night, his mask still haunts me._ The billionaire rose from his bed, groaning from the exertion. He slowly made his way to the bathroom, turning on the lights as he entered. Going directly to the sink, Wang turned the right handle on and cupped water in his hands. He splashed the cold water on his face, waking himself from his stupor.

For a few seconds, Wang stared at his reflection in the mirror. _It's been almost eight years. Eight years since that monster almost destroyed this city. _He touched the circular magnet embedded in his chest. Every morning, it reminded him of what his weapons did to the his head, Wang focused on getting ready for another day at the office. Slipping on a red bathrobe, Wang made his way to the windows and pulled back the curtains. The brilliance of the rising sun momentarily blinded him, but his eyes quickly adjusted.

The first rays of sunlight were streaming over the mountains to the east. The snowcapped peaks shone brilliantly in the reflected light as the city awoke from its slumber. Nearly two million people were just now waking up and starting their day. Satomobiles could be heard faintly through the glass, accompanied by the whirring of police airships patrolling the skies. To the south, the glassy waters of Yue Bay sparkled in the early morning glow.

Wang tore himself from the magnificent view and walked away from the window. He pulled on a gray undershirt, followed by a white buttoned shirt. A pair of charcoal grey slacks were secured by a black belt around his waist. He walked into his closet and picked out a pair of black loafers and a gray suit jacket.

The telephone was ringing as Wang walked into the kitchen. Picking it up, he heard the operator's voice on the line. "Mister Gao, call from a Mister Chung." "Patch it through."

"Mister Gao, this is Mister Chung's assistant from Special Technology. Do you have a few extra minutes this morning? He would like to brief you on the power cell project."

"Sure thing. I'll have my assistant fit him in the schedule around lunch. Have him bring any and all materials he needs for the meeting. My assistant will call you to confirm the time."

Wang hung up and called the operator for Gao Industries. "Hello, this is the Gao Industries switchboard. How can I direct your call?"

"This is Wang Gao, calling for Yun Qi." In a matter of seconds, he was connected with his assistant. "Mister Gao, what can I do for you today?"

"Schedule a lunch meeting for Mister Chung from Special Technology division. I need to get briefed on his power cell project. Cancel all meetings from eleven to twelve and call in a catering order to that deli I love on 42nd Street."

"No problem, sir. I will send an intern to pick it up. This is an early start for you again, Mister Gao. Eager to come into the office?"

"You have no idea."

* * *

**Gao Tower**

Wang now sat at his desk, finishing off a delicious sandwich from the deli. His office sat on the top floor of Gao Tower, a 78 story building in the heart of the city. From his desk, Wang could see Yue Bay and the statue of Avatar Aang clearly on any day, rain or shine. But he wasn't in the office today for the view: he was here to speak to an old friend and colleague.

"Wang, it is so good to see you again. It has been far too long." Sun Li Chung was one of Wang's closest friends. A brilliant scientist, he was fascinated by the Spirit World and traveled there several times since Avatar Korra opened the spirit portals. Wang would normally dismiss such expeditions as vacations, but something Chung discovered during his last trip piqued his interest.

Chung had come to Wang's office alone, bringing a stack of papers and folders with him. Before their meeting had begun, both ate the decadent sandwiches from the deli, delivered by an intern not too long after Chung had arrived. Now that their socializing was done, it was down to business.

"It really has. But Sun, what is the status on the power cell?"

"All right, back to business. Let me start from the beginning. Two months ago, during my latest expedition into the Spirit World, I entered a mountain range near the southern spirit portal. I was trying to find different materials that were exclusive to the spirit world and that could be used in engineering. Then, I came upon a crater about six feet across and two feet deep. At the bottom, I saw a strange rock, with purple ore embedded into it." Sun was incredibly excited, speaking at a rapid pace.

"I took the rock with me and began to refine the metal within. However, in the process of doing so, I discovered that it is actually a very rare material known to the physical plane as well. Vibranium. Now I—"

Wang held up a hand to interrupt. "Sun, I know all of this. Get to the point. Vibranium has the ability to absorb almost any kind of energy and store it as vibrations. Can you harness it as a power source?"

Without speaking, Sun took a piece of paper from a folder and gave it to Wang. Wang quickly read it, his eidetic memory absorbing all of the information printed on it. "Hold on, this means that you managed to transform the vibrations in the metal into electricity. How much power does vibranium give off?"

"The fifteen pounds that I have managed to refine could power this tower for a day free from the outside power grid. Imagine what we could do if we had more vibranium. We could power entire cities with maybe only a hundred pounds of the stuff. And the best part is that it can be recharged easily. Think about the possibilities."

Wang looked down to his heart, where the electromagnet installed all those years ago still hummed. He had spent thousands of yuans going to healers and metalbenders around the world. The shrapnel was still lodged in his heart, and he was forced to be what the newspapers called _the man with the iron heart_. A miniature power cell allowed him to live normally, but he was forced to recharge it every night to keep himself alive.

"Could you give me copies of the design for this power cell? I would love to look at your work so far. It seems amazing." Wang knew that his lie wasn't very convincing, but he desperately needed the tech for his personal project. Chung's right eyebrow piqued in interest. A CEO didn't normally get personally invested in projects like this. He decided against asking any questions, however. Chung had been good friends with Wang for almost fifteen years, and knew that whatever he was doing was important.

Without responding verbally, Chung pushed the folder containing the schematics across the desk to Wang. "I hope you find good use for it." Wang nodded and opened the folder. _Everything I need is inside here. Excellent._ Not wanting to be rude, Wang continued the conversation they were having earlier.

"So how old is little Yao now?" Chung lit up at the mention of his daughter. "She's almost three years old. She's going to be starting school soon. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

Wang nodded in acknowledgement. "You should bring her around here sometime. I would be happy to give her the VIP tour. You know how much I love kids…" Both men laughed at the remark. Chung's booming laugh reminded Chung of their time at Ba Sing Se University all those years ago. _It was a simpler time._

"Seriously, Wang, when will you finally settle down? You need to find a nice girl to relieve some of that stress. How about your assistant, or Lin from marketing?"

Wang shook his head and held up his right hand, as if to say _no._ "No thanks, Sun. I find the bachelor life more… entertaining. Besides, I don't want to go soft, like you have. That wife of yours doesn't let you have any fun." Chung laughed again, his blue eyes filling with mirth and joy. _I haven't been that happy in a long time_.

"Wang, you have no idea what you're talking about. Sure, Kyuma can be a little demanding sometimes, but I feel… at peace with her. That's when you know you've found the girl for you. She makes you complete." Wang smiled at that remark. _I'm happy that one of us has found happiness._ Sun continued. "Well, I best be off. I need to get back to the lab for more testing. Sorry for taking so much of your time."

"Never apologize to me, Sun. An old friend is always welcome here. Good luck with sending Yao off to school, and come on over some time. You can even bring that wife of yours." Both men laughed. "No offense, Wang, but I would rather not eat your cooking. Remember the arctic hen fiasco in senior year?" Both men kept laughing, their eyes tearing up from the sheer joy of their company. Wang pulled his friend in for a hug, and then grabbed his shoulders. "It was good to see you, Sun."

As soon as Chung left the office, Wang pressed the intercom button. "Yun, could you come in here?" Within seconds, his loyal assistant rushed into the office. "Sir, your twelve-thirty has been waiting for ten minutes. What is it?" Wang smiled at Yun's attitude. She kept the eccentric billionaire honest, and his calendar well organized, despite his best efforts to let chaos reign.

"I need you to clear the schedule of all meetings right away. Tell my twelve-thirty and everyone else that this tech tycoon is out of the building." He stood up and began to pack his briefcase, illustrating his point. "But sir, Miss Sato has been waiting for some time." Wang froze, as if he had been put in the crosshairs of a deadly assassin. _Asami Sato? What spirit did I anger this time?_

"Miss Sato? Is she still mad about before?" Before his assistant could answer, Asami Sato burst through the office doors furiously. "Wang Gao, what the flameo did you do to my company?" Wang simply couldn't respond. Even though she was two years younger than him, at twenty-six years old she was one of the most attractive women he had ever met. Her beautiful black hair came down to just below her shoulders, accentuating her face perfectly. She wore makeup, but instead of masking her face like so many women did now, it enhanced her natural beauty. Her body was curvy, but she was slender and fit. It wasn't her gorgeous body that attracted Wang to her, however. Her beautiful green eyes reminded him of the most beautiful emeralds. _Those eyes could entrance me for hours._

However, this was not one of those times. Her eyes blazed with fury, her gaze locked solely on Wang. He swallowed nervously and put his hands up in a gesture of mock surrender. Yun rolled her eyes and quickly walked past Asami to exit the office. Once she left, Wang grinned sheepishly and began to speak. "Now, Asami, look—"

She angrily interrupted, striding up to him and jabbing him in the chest with her finger. "You just bought a controlling interest in Future Industries! You stole my company from me!" He stammered nervously, looking for a response. _Come on, Wang. You're better than this. You've dealt with plenty of angry women before. So why is Asami so different?_ "Asami, listen to me. Future Industries wasn't going to survive without an infusion of capital. I bought your company to save it from collapse." Before he could continue, Asami stomped off towards the door.

"Wait! Asami, I don't want to control your company. I'm giving you complete control over Future Industries and its subsidiaries, with just a little oversight from Gao Enterprises." Asami turned back to Wang, puzzled. "Wait, so you don't want my proprietary tech? Then why buy Future Industries in the first place?!" She put her hands on her hips and shot a questioning look at the flustered genius. _Oh, for Agni's sake, just do it, Wang._

"Asami, I did it because I didn't want to see your company fail. You're one of the smartest, bravest, and kindest people I have ever met, and I want you to continue your work." Asami pondered what he said for a few moments, her face scrunched in concentration. _How does she make even that expression look wonderful?_

Asami's face slowly morphed into one of joy. Her lips twisted into a coy smile, and her green eyes flashed with happiness rather than anger. "So, that iron heart still beats like everyone else's. You, Mister Gao, are quite the charmer. Was there anything else you wanted to say?"

_Damn her. How does she do it?_ "Uhhh…" _You idiot! Just say it!_ "Asami, would you like to go to dinner and a mover with me?" _Oh, Agni, why did you curse me with this sheer idiocy?_ Without hesitation, she answered. "I would love to, Wang. You have my number. Call me sometime and we'll set it up." Without any further words, the beautiful woman turned and walked slowly to the door. He stared at her walking out with a dazed expression. _It couldn't have been that easy, right? Maybe I'm dreaming._

Wang collapsed into his chair, still feeling dazed. Yun peaked her head into the room, her eyes dissecting her boss. "Productive meeting, sir?"

"Yes, Yun. Very."

* * *

**Kyoshi Point**

Wang Jun Gao had left the office not long after his eventful meeting with Asami Sato. Instead of heading to his apartment in the heart of the city, Wang drove towards the Silk Road Bridge. After crossing the river spanned by the iconic landmark, he had gone north along one of the Republic's major highways, stopping for nothing. After driving for twenty minutes, he reached his destination: a mansion located on Kyoshi Point, a peninsula jutting out into the Mo Ce Sea north of the metropolis.

Stepping out of his Satomobile, Wang was instantly greeted by his butler and longtime friend, Wu. Wu's family had served the Gaos for three generations, and Wu himself was an old friend of Wang's father, Jun. Wu kept the house in perfect condition, even though Wang spent much of his time in the city.

"Mister Gao, welcome back to your home. I trust that last night's conquest couldn't be bothered to come all the way out here?" Wu's acerbic wit was much appreciated by Wang. It kept him grounded in reality when he had "delusions of grandeur," as Wu called them. Wang laughed at the quip. "No, Wu, no conquests in the last week. I just had some work to do in the city. And I think that I am much more… refined that I was a few years ago."

"Yes, I suppose we have Miss Sato to thank for that. How is the beautiful Asami?" Wu piqued an eyebrow in interest as Wang walked to the back of the auto, fumbling for his keys. The young billionaire looked flustered, as if he was in a great hurry. Finding the right key, he unlocked the trunk and lifted something heavy out of it. Wu hurried over and saw Wang lifting a heavy trunk, grunting from the exertion. "Wu, get the door."

Striding to the door, the butler was quickly followed by his young master, who struggled to carry his heavy burden. Wu opened the door and waited for Wang to cross the threshold before closing it once again. "Now, where to, Mister Gao?" Wang grunted out his response: "Downstairs."

Wu nodded and turned about, making his way into the kitchen. Opening the pantry, he walked to the back wall as Wang followed in his footsteps. Finally setting down the heavy load, Wang breathed a sigh of relief and waited for Wu. Wu had opened a secret panel on the back wall of the pantry, which was made to look like a circuit box. Flipping three switches in quick succession, Wu stepped back from the wall as a secret door swung open.

The billionaire grunted again as he moved the trunk into the small elevator beyond the door. Closing the door behind them, Wu punched the down arrow on the elevator, which lit up red. Slowly, the elevator jolted from its slumber and inexorably moved towards the center of the earth. The descent took them almost a minute, the elevator groaning under their weight. The box swayed from time to time, terrifying the old butler. "Mister Gao, I must say that this contraption is nothing but a death trap. You must replace it at once."

Wang chuckled at the older man's remarks. "Yep, this is about thirty years old. Put in by my dad himself." He patted the walls of the elevator, as if appreciating an old ostrich-horse. _I can't believe it's been that long. I'm only twenty-eight, after all._ "Maybe I should put in a new freight elevator. Add that to the list, I suppose." He drifted off into thought after that, an uncomfortable silence falling in between the two men.

Wu broke the silence, as usual. "You never answered my question, Mister Gao."

"What? What question?" The billionaire had been driven out of his thoughts without warning. _He hates it when I do that._ The butler shook his head and placed both of his hands on the young man's shoulders. "How is Miss Sato doing?"

Upon the mention of Asami Sato, Wang blushed deeply and looked at the floor beneath them. Wu waited for a response, but was rudely interrupted by a bell. It signaled the end of the elevator's journey. Without responding, Wang picked up the trunk and moved past the opening doors. Wu sighed in exasperation and followed reluctantly.

Every time Wang stepped into the workshop beneath his house, he felt more relaxed than he did in the outside world. _Out there, I am Wang Jun Gao, billionaire playboy industrialist. Here, I'm just another engineer, building the tools for a better tomorrow._ The pressures of the outside world evaporated and gave rise to a deep passion for his work. Wang truly believed in his quest for a utopian future, ever since the revolution all those years ago. _I must atone for those mistakes_.

The workshop was a paradise for techies like Wang. It stretched fifty by seventy feet, loaded to bear with gadgets, tools, and spare parts. The wall to the right of the entrance was devoted to specialty tools and parts that had to be hand-crafted for a specific and often obscure purpose. It contained so many tools and parts that Wang had to keep an inventory of where every piece went and a log book to check out the parts. The wall was fenced off, with only one door near the entrance to the workshop at large.

To the left of the entrance stood the wall of equality, as Wang derisively called it. Two captured mecha tanks, a biplane, and even the cockpit of an Equalist airship were on display, partly disassembled. The genius had been taken aback by the level of technology used by the Equalists. Transporting several impounded Equalist vehicles to his workshop hadn't been easy, but the results had more than paid off. While he couldn't incorporate the designs into his company's technology, he could still use it in his own projects.

Finally, the back of the workshop was sealed off by thick platinum walls, with only two impact-resistant windows breaking the monotony of the gray metal. The door leading into the secret area was secured by one of the most expensive locks in the world: it had been procured in the Fire Nation by Wang himself several years back. It was comprised entirely of platinum, so as to be impervious to metalbending, and used a sophisticated design that even he couldn't fully understand. It was linked to an alarm system which would lock the mansion down if an intruder were to try and enter. The level of security was indeed astounding, but Wang knew that it was entirely necessary. _The technology behind that door will change the world forever. It can't fall into the wrong hands._

Wang stood still in front of the door and set down the load. Fumbling around with a chain around his neck, he lifted the chain over his head and selected the first key. Turning each of the three keys in a select order, he unlocked the first three deadbolts in the door. The last deadbolt was secured by a combination lock, which he twisted around quickly. After inputting the combination, the billionaire simply tapped the door. The massive door, weighing hundreds of pounds, swung open, revealing a peculiar area.

The best way to describe the area was _exploded._ Parts lay everywhere, some from Satomobile engines and others from Equalist weaponry. A mecha tank lay half assembled in the corner, missing its right arm, left leg, and most of the cockpit. What had to be dozens of electrified gloves were scattered across the floor, all missing components. Wu's left eyebrow piqued at the mess, but he did not ask Wang what this was. What happened in the workshop was not the butler's business until Wang decided to tell him.

Wang ignored the mess and marched to the center of the room, where a circular raised platform stood. Stepping on the relatively clean platform, Wang set the trunk down for the final time and knelt down to open it. Fumbling with the combination lock for a few seconds, Wang heard the _click_ of the tumblers. He lifted the lid open and looked inside. _All the parts I need. Excellent._

Pulling out all the parts took Wang seconds, but setting them up on the workbench proved to be a greater challenge. After ten minutes of aggravation, the billionaire could finally get to work. Wu had stood at attention the whole time, not saying a word. Wang picked up a welding mask and apron and turned to the butler. _Damn, has he been here for that long?_ "Wu, you can go. I can handle everything down here."

Wang saw the butler's mouth open, as if he was about to speak. Instead, he nodded, even though he obviously doubted everything was okay. Turning around, Wu walked through the vault doorframe and back toward the elevator. His footsteps could be heard reverberating throughout the workshop, fading every second. Wang waited until he could no longer hear the footsteps. After hearing nothing for seconds, he flipped the welder mask over his face and strode to the bench. _It's time to finish this._

* * *

**Several Hours Later**

Wu strode into the vault once more, looking for his master. He had not come up from the workshop for supper. Wu knew that the young man would often spend hours cooped up in the subbasement, working on some newfangled contraption. The manservant carried a tray in his hands: it contained a plate of rice and spicy komodo chicken (_his favorite_, Wu thought), a cup of steaming tea, and a spring roll. _Where is that boy?_

"Master Gao!" The shout echoed throughout the metal chamber. Something crossed Wu's mind at that moment. The silence. No roar of generators, no crackle of welding torches filled the vault. _What is going on down here?_

Wang's head rose up from behind the platform. "Hey, Wu! Come over here!" _That platform is only a foot above the ground, how is his head the only—_ the thought in Wu's mind was cut off as he came to the back of the platform. Wang lay on the ground, with no shirt on. Wires trailed into his chest magnet, but something was different. The power cell, while of a similar size to the last, was different somehow. A triangle of blue light shone out from Wang's chest, projected by the battery.

"Pretty sweet, right?" Wang's lips broke into a smirk, so like the one he had on his face after the first time he— _Never mind that._ Wu shook his head to clear the thought from his head and pointed to Wang's magnet. "What did you upgrade this time?"

"Everything, Wu. Everything." At that moment, a click came from the platform, followed by two more. Wang's hands moved up from his sides to grasp the wires. Suddenly, he yanked them all out, alarming Wu. The butler almost sprang into action, but Wang pushed himself up from the floor. The billionaire calmly strode over to Wu and clasped both of his friend's shoulders. "I have to show you something. Something that will change the world."

Stepping up onto the platform, Wang beckoned to Wu. The butler followed his master, unsure of what was happening. Wang had never showed him a personal project before. The tech tycoon was putting on a skintight black shirt, and Wu noticed that he was wearing skintight black pants as well. _What is going on?_

Stepping over to what looked like a control panel, Wang pushed a lever upwards and turned back around. At once, a small cylindrical container began to rise out of the middle of the platform. The cylinder contained… a suit of armor. The metal was clearly a platinum alloy, but Wu did not recognize it from the wall of Equalist weapons. This was something new.

The armor was form fitting, being about the size of a man. The chest plate had a circular hole in the middle of it, which was quite bizarre to the butler. The gloves looked very similar to the electrified gloves strewn across the vault. _No doubt on purpose._ The armor's boots were slightly out of proportion to the rest of the body, but Wu's attention was captured by the helmet. It was shaped very similar to a particular person's head. Wang's head.

Without a moment's hesitation, Wang began to put the armor on. First came the boots, then the armor around the upper legs. His arms were then secured in the thick metal shell, followed by his hands. Wang now stepped into the cylinder, pressing a button on one of the poles inside the tube. The back of the armor descended on a repurposed welding arm until it was snug with Wang's own back. Finally, the billionaire pulled the chest piece towards him, which was hanging from another welding arm. Pulling three wires from the inner chest piece, he connected them with the power cell in his chest. The triangle of light dimmed for a brief moment, and the armor hummed slightly.

Lowering the chest piece until it was flush with his body, Wang smiled at his butler. The humming from the armor increased ever so slightly. Stepping down from the cylinder with the helmet in his hand, Wang strode over to Wu. _He has to be six inches taller now._ "What do you think, Wu?" A smile played across Wang's face.

"What is it?" The butler was even more confused than before.

Wang's smile expanded. "This is the Gaotech Model One Armor. It's powered by an experimental power cell that can last for days without charging, same one that's keeping me alive. Battery is made of vibranium, borrowed it from the company." He pointed to the blue triangle in his chest. The power cell filled the hole in the chest piece. "Outer shell is a hardened platinum alloy, keeps the metalbenders from messing with me, you know? Inner layers are a proprietary material which keeps out electricity and radiation, also impact resistant." Wang pointed down at his boots with gusto. "Boots are something else: Gaotech jet boots, can keep me in the air for hours—"

Wu interrupted his master. It was rude, but necessary. "Wait, it… flies?"

Wang looked at Wu with incredulity. "How else would I get around? Oh, yeah, it enhances my strength tenfold, and speed too. When I'm running, you know." The billionaire was rambling excitedly, listing off the armor's attributes. "Oh, I almost forgot the gloves."

Wu sighed in exasperation. It was too much, and he knew he shouldn't say anything. But he did anyway. "What about the gloves?" _Damn it._

Wang was beaming at this point. "The gloves, based on the Equalist ones. Only better. Gaotech repulsor beams for flight stabilizers in addition to the electrical weapon. Also made out of platinum. I'm planning to add other stuff later, but that's everything for now." Wang turned to his butler, his face more joyful than Wu had seen in a long time. "So, what do you think?"

Wu was amazed. This suit, this armor, was the most advanced piece of technology that Wu had ever seen. _He's outdone himself this time._ "I don't believe I'm saying this, sir. But I believe that you have surpassed all my expectations." _Wait, what is this for? Some weapon to sell to the military?_

"Wang, why did you build this armor? Who is it for?" Wu watched as Wang jabbed his thumb in his own chest. _Why does he need a suit of armor?_

"It's for me. Wu, I've done wrong in my life. I haven't been able to bring peace and equality to the world the way I wanted to. This is my way of atoning for my past transgressions." Wang went silent, letting Wu process what he had heard.

"You are atoning for said transgressions by wearing a weapon and fighting… What are you fighting?" At that remark, Wang's countenance darkened. Wu's eyes widened in fear: what did he do?

"I'm fighting the Equalists. They're the reason I built this suit."

* * *

**Northern Earth Kingdom  
****Four Days Later**

Wang stood at the door of the airship, wearing his suit of armor, excluding the helmet. Looking down at the headpiece, clasped in his right hand, he remembered the exchange with Wu four days earlier in his vault.

"_The Equalists? They are all gone, Master Gao. The Avatar and United Forces…"_

_Wang leaned over the work bench, facing away from Wu. "Drove out most of them, but some survived. A general, the head of SHIELD, came into my office about six months ago, asking for my help. He showed me pictures of their main camp in the Earth Kingdom. Said that the Equalists were being trained to fight again, under new leadership. He wanted me to help SHIELD take them down by giving him weapons, but I refused. I didn't sell weapons anymore, I said to him."_

_Wang turned to Wu and smirked. "He said that the Avatar and his best team were going in to 'clean up the mess.' He said that if I didn't want to help, that their deaths would be on my head. He stormed off, and I started on the armor that day. I had been working on it for a while," pointing to the mecha tank as he spoke. "I finally have the power to make those bastards pay. For what they did to the city, to the benders—"_

"_And to you." Wu had interjected again. Wang's features soured at the remark. "Yes, I want revenge. For what they did to me. They turned my weapons, my creations, on the city!" In anger, he knocked miscellaneous parts off the workbench with his hand. The parts flew and struck the wall with tremendous force. The _clang _resounded through the room as Wang fell silent._

_Turning to Wu, his eyes seemed to plead with his old friend. "Wu, I need to do this. I have to set things right."_

_Wu understood the necessity of Wang's quest. Even though he disagreed with Wang's methods, Wu nodded in acknowledgement. Wang needed to purge the anger from his heart. Balance within the mind must be achieved before he could move on from the trauma of the revolution. "Go, Wang."_

Wang shook his head, banishing the memory from his thoughts. He put his helmet on and heard the hum of the magnets which locked it into place. Breathing slowly, he closed his eyes for a brief moment, and then leaped from the door. Curling his toes inward, he triggered the rockets in his boots, sending him flying through the air atop a pillar of flame. The repulsors in his gloves were triggered by a similar motion, and soon Wang was hovering next to his airship.

Wang had flown the small but advanced aircraft out into the mountains near the training camp over the last two days. The only things he brought were his armor and a pack of food given to him by Wu. The automated systems allowed him to sleep at night, and the airship never had a problem. Once he reached the mountain chain, Wang anchored the zeppelin behind an imposing peak and prepared for the coming battle. Now he was ready to take the fight to the Equalists.

Turning to face the mountain, Wang's thoughts hardened with resolve, and he rocketed off towards the peak. The billionaire was new to flying, but the repulsors in his glove stabilized his erratic flight patterns mostly. The vibranium battery in his chest gave his suit the power to fly, and it felt glorious. The wind rushed around his streamlined form, and the adrenaline began to flow.

In a matter of seconds, he cleared the peak and descended towards the plateau below. _There it is._ Nestled between two small chains of mountains lay the camp. It was almost the size of Wang's estate at Kyoshi Point, but was obviously a militarized installation. Mecha tanks patrolled the perimeter alongside chi blockers, and guard towers rose from the ground at regular intervals along the perimeter wall. Barracks occupied the outer edges of the camp, while the armories and other essential facilities ringed a central command post.

Wang finished his analysis of the camp just in time: one of the chi blockers had spotted him. The Equalist shouted something inaudible and pointed at the flying man. _Well, here goes nothing._ Dropping into the camp like a meteor, he landed in the middle of the main avenue in a cloud of dust. A crowd of Equalists crowded around the impact site, wary of whatever lay at the middle. A strong gust of wind pushed aside the cloud of dust, revealing Wang at the center of a small crater. He spoke, his voice reverberating inside the metal helmet. "It's payback time!"

* * *

Two chi blockers, obviously veterans of the previous revolution, swallowed their fears and leapt towards the armored man. Wang laughed and powered up his electric gloves. The Equalists launched a flurry of blows at the joints of the armor, hoping to find a weak point. They found no such thing. Countering quickly, Wang struck one of the chi blockers with an electrified fist. A zapping noise could be heard throughout the camp. Wang's victim collapsed on the ground, dead.

Before the second Equalist could even register what happened, a burst of electricity shot from Wang's other glove. Striking the other chi blocker in the chest, the electricity sent the man into cardiac arrest. The Equalists ringing the impact crater watched in horror as two of their finest soldiers were killed by the mysterious man. Fear settling in, the soldiers began to back away from Wang in fear.

He laughed darkly, stepping out of the crater towards the crowd. "What's the matter? I'm just another nonbender, like yourselves. Fighting for _equality_." The last word came out in a hiss of anger as Wang fired bolts of electricity from his gloves. Felling five Equalists in a matter of seconds, he heard the rumbling of heavy machinery in the background. Without warning, two bolas wrapped around him, trapping his arms and legs.

Electricity flowed from the bolas into the armored man. The metal crackled with energy as the man screamed in pain. His head slumped down as the last of the stored electricity dissipated into the metal. The twenty-or-so chi blockers walked towards Wang warily. Suddenly, a metallic laugh chilled them all to the core, fear seizing control once more.

"Really? That's the best you can do?" His head rose once more, giving the closest Equalists a glance at his blue eyes. They were as cold as ice.

Ripping through the bolas like they were paper, Wang cracked his neck. The gloves hummed with electricity once more, glowing blue in the early morning haze. "My turn."

He rushed forward with inhuman speed. Within seconds, five more chi blockers were convulsing on the ground. A mecha tank fired a grappling claw at Wang, who twisted to the side. He grabbed the cable and yanked it hard, pulling the mecha tank closer. Firing his rocket boots, Wang flew at the tank. The operator, fearing for his life, tried to back up quickly. It was too late.

Wang used his immense momentum and the armor's strength to rip off the right arm of the mecha tank. Landing behind the tank, he sprinted towards its engine and punched it with all his might. A cloud of steam exploded from the damaged machine and engulfed the battlefield. Unable to see, the Equalists were easy pickings for the armored warrior. Flashes of blue light lit up the cloud of steam. A minute later, Wang strode forth from the cloud. His armor wasn't even dented.

A crowd of Equalists had gathered in front of him, with several mecha tanks behind them. _I count thirty chi blockers, and maybe eight tanks. This'll be easy._ The armored man stepped forward to face them, but could not move his feet. They had been swallowed up by the ground beneath him. _An earthbender? In an Equalist camp? Clearly, these guys haven't learned from their little Amon debacle._ Trapped for the moment, Wang was patient.

The crowd of chi blockers parted for a mysterious figure. The man stepped into Wang's view from within the crowd. He wore simple black armor which covered his entire body, and seemed to be made of platinum like the mecha tanks. The helmet hid the man's identity, and resembled a demon from the Spirit World. It had two horns rising up on both sides, and the "chin" came down to a sharpened point near the man's sternum. He raised his hands into a combat stance similar to a waterbender's. That's when Wang noticed the rings.

The figure had four rings spread across both his hands. His left hand had rings on the middle and index fingers, while the right had rings on the middle finger and thumb. The ring on the right thumb glowed green, and seemed to hum with power. _Wait, he's using the ring to manipulate the earth somehow! _Before the figure could move again, Wang fired an electrical blast at him. The masked man dodged the blast, but the ring stopped glowing.

Wang felt the earth around his feet loosen. He fired his rocket boots and freed his feet from the ground. He continued to fly in an arc, landing a few feet from the masked man. The man had picked himself up from the ground, and now faced Wang. _His mask, it's scarier than Amon's._ Memories from the past swelled in Wang's head, but he pushed them away. _I'm done with fear._

Wang spoke in that mysterious metallic voice which terrified the Equalists. "So who are you? And are you in charge of these guys? Cause they really need some training." He pointed to the steam cloud, which still obscured the battleground behind them.

The masked figure raised his right hand. Wang dropped into a combat stance as the ring on the middle finger glowed white. When nothing happened, Wang stood back warily, and glanced behind him. The steam cloud had been dissipated by a gust of wind, and he took in the scene in its gruesome horror. _I did… that._

Equalist soldiers lay scattered across the ground, some still twitching from the electrical attacks. All the mecha tanks were out of commission, but one pilot's death was particularly gruesome. Wang had ripped open the cockpit and blasted the pilot with a double dose of the gloves. Steam still rose from the slightly charred corpse. Bile seared his throat as Wang looked at the horrific aftermath of his battle. _I'm a monster._

A strong gust of wind blasted him forward, towards the carnage. Wang struck the side of a crippled mecha tank, the impact jarring his body. "Son of a…" He was shocked out of his stupor by the earth swallowing him up once again. Curling his toes and fingers together, Wang fired his repulsors and soared into the air. "Let's see you try that again when I'm twenty feet off the ground, bud!" He stared down at the masked figure, whose right thumb stopped glowing. The middle finger began to shine white again. What happened next shocked Wang to his core.

A pillar of air spun around the Equalist leader and lifted him into the air. The masked man rose to meet Wang's eyes, which widened in shock. _Earth AND air? He can't be a bender, let alone the Avatar!_ "What, what are you?"

The man answered in a metallic voice not unlike Wang's. "I am the Mandarin."

* * *

The Mandarin fired a blast of air at the hovering Wang. Unprepared for the attack, Wang fell from the sky, his boots unable to keep him aloft. Crashing into the earth, he lifted his head to see the Mandarin descend to the ground, his right thumb now glowing. _Earth._

Two chunks of earth were ripped from the ground and hurled at terrifying speeds towards Wang. Twisting to the right, Wang dodged both and shook his head. _Time to go on the offensive._ His rocket boots flared to life as he shot forward. Using his momentum, he tried to deliver a swift uppercut to the Mandarin's jaw. In an impressive feat of agility, Wang's enemy deflected the blow with his right forearm and raised his left hand. The index finger was glowing crimson. _Shit._

A torrent of fire erupted from the Mandarin's hand, engulfing Wang. "Ahh!" He was unhurt, shielded by his armor, but the sheer force of the fire blasted him back almost ten feet. Wang managed to jump to his feet and reassessed the Mandarin. _So air, earth, and fire? The rings must be some kind of tech that give him bending-like powers. Lucky for me, there's one trick I have left._

Powering up both of his gloves, he unleashed a torrent of electricity upon the unsuspecting Equalist. The energy surged through the Mandarin's armor, but Wang kept it up. After a few seconds passed, Wang lowered his hands and stared at the smoking armor that used to contain the Equalist leader.

Just as he let himself relax, the Mandarin's left hand rose. The middle finger glowed bluish-white. _I'm dead._

The Mandarin laughed, the metallic sound chilling Wang to his core. The glow from the ring seemed to get brighter. Wang should have seen it coming. Electricity shot forth from the Mandarin's armored hand and engulfed the armored billionaire. This time, it was going to hurt.

Even with the inner layers of the armor protecting him, Wang still felt some of the electricity course through his body. He screamed in agony, but willed himself to stay conscious. The magnets that held his armor together whined in protest. Wang hoped that the suit would stay together just a few minutes longer. _He's using my own attack against me! Like a firebender redirects lightning…_ That last thought gave Wang an idea. A stupid, impulsive idea, but it was the only option he had left.

He collapsed to his knees, giving into the pain for a split second. Black spots appeared in his vision, and his mouth felt dry. His very life seemed to leave his body in spurts, as the Mandarin's assault continued for agonizing seconds. _I can't give up. For Wu, for Asami…_

Finally, the agonizing ordeal was over. The Mandarin lowered his hand and pointed his right index finger at Wang. "Take him prisoner. Find out who he is and how he found us." The chi blockers behind the Mandarin nodded in the affirmative and walked forward. The mecha tanks followed close behind, their weapons locked on Wang. Wang lowered his head and closed his eyes. _Three, two, one…_

Suddenly, he stood up and fired his repulsors at the mecha tanks. The repulsors may have be envisioned as flight stabilizers, but they were at the heart of it a force beam. The kinetic energy of the beam impacted the mecha tanks and knocked them on their sides. The chi blockers rushed towards the fallen Wang, hoping to swarm him. They failed.

The fallen warrior fired a pulse from both gloves into the ground. A kinetic energy wave rippled outward from Wang. The wave blasted the Equalists clear of the armored man, who finally stood to face his foe. The Mandarin was the only one left standing. The Equalist leader glanced around at his fallen forces and unleashed an inhuman roar. Raising his hands, all four rings glowed. Wang took his shot.

Firing both repulsors at once, he blasted the Mandarin with all his power. The Equalist villain was knocked back into the central complex. The attack sent Wang's foe through three walls and left him dazed in the middle of the building. Wang stepped forward, grimacing in pain. Firing several blasts in quick succession, he targeted the building's support beams. The Mandarin screamed and trapped Wang in a sphere of air. "You think to best me, man of science? I possess the power of the Avatar! What chance do you have?" The Mandarin began to "bend" the air out from the sphere, leaving Wang without oxygen. Before he passed out, Wang spoke one last time.

"This kind." Wang fired one last repulsor blast as his vision went dark. The blast struck a support pillar, cracking it with the kinetic force. Suddenly, the whole building began to collapse, all three stories. Right on the Mandarin's head. His concentration broken, the villain roared one last time as the building crushed him.

* * *

Wang came to a few minutes later, to the sound of airship rotors. He blinked a few times and took big gulps of air. Glancing over to the collapsed building, he knew he had done it. _Take that, you psychopath._ Wang managed to stand, gripping a downed mecha tank for support. As air returned to his lungs, his strength began to flow back into his limbs.

The morning sun had finally risen over the eastern mountains. Light poured into the valley, giving the camp a divine glow. _It's anything but divine. I slaughtered them all._ Before he could dwell more on his sins, a woman's voice startled him.

"Who are you?" The voice emanated from behind him. Wang turned and saw a twenty-or-so woman standing behind him. The young woman stood around five feet seven inches, almost half a foot shorter than Wang without his armor. She wore a blue sleeveless top which accentuated her athletic body, along with dark blue armbands around both her forearms. Light blue leggings showed her legs to be just as toned as her arms. Fur boots and an animal skin wrapped around her waist completed the outfit. Her brown hair was tied into two ponytails near her face and a single one at the back of her head. Her mocha skin betrayed her as a member of the Water Tribe, as did her blue eyes.

The second he saw her, though, was when he recognized her. _The Avatar. Well, shit._

"Who are you?" Avatar Korra was in a combat stance, ready to bend at him. "I won't ask again? Or are you an Equalist?"

Wang shook his head and stepped back from the young Avatar. _Well, she's not that much younger than me. Shut up, Wang! Focus!_ "No, I'm not." His toes curled together, as did his fingers. "I'm Iron Man."

Iron Man's rocket boots kicked in and he soared into the sky atop a pillar of flame. The Avatar was stunned, to say the least. Her jaw dropped noticeably, and her widened eyes followed the armored man across the sky. She thought quietly to herself. _Iron Man. Huh._

"Avatar Korra! What happened here?" She turned to face an incoming squad of soldiers. They were wearing blue jumpsuits and light armor, which was emblazoned with a white shield. At their head was a man, with darker skin like those of the southern Earth Kingdom and black hair growing white at the temples. He wore an eye patch across his left eye.

"General Fury, you're not going to believe this."

* * *

**Kwong's Cuisine  
****Three Days Later**

Asami Sato laughed at Wang's joke. "That's a good one! I hadn't heard that one before!" The two sat at a private booth in Kwong's, the fanciest restaurant in the city. Wang had called her the day before to invite her to dinner, and she had accepted with gusto. Picking her up at her estate outside Republic City, he had taken her on a scenic drive through downtown before going to the restaurant. The courses served were magnificent, the best Wang ever had at the restaurant. _Of course it could be the company._

He stared across the table at his gorgeous date. She wore a red dress that came down to her ankles yet somehow was still scandalous. The top was low cut enough to expose a little of her chest. The dress hugged her curves in a way that made his face flush. Her face, though, looked even more radiant than usual. Her eyes, her best feature, sparkled with the brilliance of a thousand stars. He found himself entranced by this woman like he had been by no other.

"Master Gao?" The waiter tapped his shoulder. "I am sorry to interrupt, but the restaurant is closing soon. Just so you know." The waiter walked away from the table and Wang turned back to Asami.

"So, did you have fun tonight?" He paused when he saw her face. She seemed crestfallen somehow, and his spirits fell. _She didn't like it._ "Look, Asami…" She held a finger up to silence him. Her face twisted in relief, and she spoke excitedly.

"I remembered what I forgot to do tonight!" He was about to ask what when he felt her full lips on his. Wang's hands moved up to cup her face in his calloused hands as he leaned into the kiss. It was short, but so full of understanding. When she finally pulled away, he didn't resist. He simply sighed contentedly as the heiress blushed.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that. I had a great time, Wang, and I think you know that I want to do this again." Wang nodded sheepishly at Asami's suggestion and twiddled his thumbs. A nervous silence descended between them.

Asami finally broke the awkwardness. "So, you were gone for a few days. Do anything exciting up at that house of yours?"

Images of him welding parts, stepping out in front of Wu armored up, and blasting the Mandarin into a building filled his mind. "No, nothing in particular."

**The End**

* * *

Author's Note: Hey, thanks so much for reading this story! I'm really new to all this, so any and all feedback is appreciated. My next few chapters are setting up the five main characters in the Avengers. Next one is going to be the Hulk, so stay tuned.

Also, the chapters won't all be as long as this one. It was really cool to blend the first season of the show into this story, but it took a lot more space than I realized. I got to 12,500 words by the end and I couldn't bear to cut any of it. Also, in case you're wondering, the Mandarin being the head of the new Equalists in Avatar world just made sense to me. Try and guess who he ends up being: I dare you.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my take on the LOK Iron Man! I thought making it a little darker than the show was would make it more realistic. Thanks and stay tuned for more episodes!

P.S: Please give feedback.


	3. Chapter 2: The Strongest One There Is

**Wulong Test Site  
****Summer, 175 AG**

Zhang Wei peered through his thick glasses at the instrument panel. _No, no. That can't be right._ He twisted one of the main dials to the appropriate reading and smiled. A lock of his black hair fell down in front of his eyes. He absentmindedly brushed it aside, revealing his dark brown irises. Zhang bit his lower lip in frustration. The panel was set correctly, but something still didn't feel right. The experiment had to be just right, or else the funding to his project would be cut off. The stress placed upon him by the project had taxed his frail and weak body to the point of exhaustion.

His frantic thoughts were interrupted by a familiar sound: high heels clacking across the metal floor. _Those heels… Only one person I know wears them._ The scientist turned to face the source of the noise. A young woman had entered the room, wearing a modest red dress and matching high heeled shoes. She had light brown hair, which stretched down her back to her shoulder blades, and beautiful blue eyes. Her pale complexion betrayed her as one of Fire Nation descent, but her hair and eye color came from the Water Tribes. She was one of the most beautiful women Zhang had met in his life. _Kyra_.

The scientist could see a smile forming on her face as Kyra laid her eyes on him. "Zhang? Is that really you?" He grinned sheepishly as she came running towards him. Kyra threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. Color rushing to Zhang's face, he reciprocated the gesture cautiously. Tilting her head up towards Zhang's, she began to speak.

"It's so good to see you again. How long has it been?" Zhang thought back to their last meeting almost four years ago. _The night before graduation._ He could still feel her fingers brushing against his bare chest, the look of passion in her eyes, her sultry voice whispering his name in his ear. The feel of their bodies contorting in—

He startled himself out of his thoughts and smiled. "Four years. But who's counting?" Seeing her smile like that made Zhang's heart turn to mush. The young scientist pulled away from her embrace, his pulse quickening. Kyra tried to ignore her good friend's actions, as she placed her hands on her hips. "So, you're the one heading up Rebirth? Must be exciting…"

"Yeah, it is. Guess all those boring lectures with Professor Qi paid off, huh?" Zhang smiled and turned back to the instrument panel. Before long, Kyra had joined him, taking a look at his work scrawled across several pads of paper. Picking one up, she found long complicated chemical formulas and drawings of molecules. Whistling softly, she patted Zhang on the left shoulder. "You have outdone yourself, Zhang. Really—"

She was silenced by his lips on hers. He took in the warmth of her lips, the familiar taste of her lipstick, before she hit him across the face. "What in Agni's name is your problem?" The smack left a red welt on his right cheek, and the smile that was on his face was replaced by a crestfallen expression. "Zhang, I thought we could be friends, but it looks like you can't let go of the past. I'm with someone else now."

Anger swelled in Zhang's chest. Fury building towards the woman who had just slapped him, the mysterious man in her life, but mostly at himself. Anger that he could even think about doing what he just did. The scientist felt downtrodden, but turned back to face the instrument panel. He summoned the courage to continue on, the bravery to finish what he started. Truth be told, Zhang's life now revolved around his work. Without Kyra, he only had the Rebirth project. And that was now in jeopardy.

A few minutes passed by, total silence falling over the room. Kyra glared daggers at the man who had the gall to kiss her, and Zhang fiddled with the instrument panel. Their awkward situation was quickly interrupted by the arrival of a large military party. At the head of the group were two highly distinguished officers. Both wore the crimson dress uniforms of the United Forces, and wore ceremonial _jians_ around their waists.

One wore the insignia of a major, but looked to only be Zhang's age. _Must be on the fast track for promotion._ His body was lean and athletic, very unlike Zhang's frail musculature. His complexion was similar to the peoples of the Earth Kingdom, with light brown skin and brown hair. The soldier had his long hair tied back in a ponytail, keeping it up and out of his face. His bright green eyes scanned Zhang with cold calculation. After a few seconds, his gaze turned more jovial and his lips twisted into a smile.

"Ah, you must be the Doctor Zhang Wei that everyone was telling me about. I'm Major Chang Lam of the United Forces. It's nice to finally meet you." The major's right hand firmly grasped Zhang's hand. Zhang finally found the courage to speak. "It's… it's my honor, Major."

"Ah, Doctor Wei, you haven't changed at all. Still the same old geek I knew all those years ago." A second voice, more gruff, made both men turn to the door. The second officer, this one a general, stood there with a smirk on his chiseled face. The man had a stockier build than Chang, with muscles that belied his age. His eyes were amber, his skin a paler complexion than even the sun-starved Zhang. His white hair was cut in the short military style pioneered by the United Forces.

"General Vakir, it's always a pleasure. Or should I call you Thunderbolt?" The weak smile on Zhang's face soured quickly once he saw the look in the general's eyes. He wasn't called _Thunderbolt_ for nothing: he was a firebending master, one of the greatest in the world. It was said that he mastered the art of lightning generation at the young age of ten, a truly prodigious feat.

Zhang continued on, disregarding Vakir's expression. "Anyway, what can I do for you, General?"

"I just thought that you would like to meet the man who's going to be the first soldier of Rebirth. He's one of the finest men you'll ever meet. Strong, brave, fearless: in short, everything you're not. That's why he's the perfect match for my daughter, unlike you, Zhang."

Zhang's eyes widened in shock as he looked at Kyra again. She had intertwined her right hand with Chang's left hand. The simple action sent a very common emotion coursing through Zhang's blood. The feeling was intoxicating, exhilarating. It tinged his vision red and made his mind go mad with thoughts of bloodlust.

It was anger.

* * *

**Republic City  
****Spring, 178 AG**

Zhang awoke with a start, his heart pounding. _Breath, Zhang, just breathe. _It was common for him to have dreams like this, a symptom of his condition. Zhang chucked at that thought. _Condition. That's a funny way to put it._ His heart had returned to a normal rhythm, which calmed the stirring rage in the back of Zhang's mind. The power of the beast was shoved away by Zhang's psyche once again.

_That's the fifth time this week._ Zhang's eyes were bloodshot from the lack of sleep. He hadn't shaved in over a month, and the shaggy black beard only served to make him look more unstable. Sleeping didn't come easily to Zhang, not since the incident. _I guess being on the run for three years doesn't help._ As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the scientist could feel the familiar flickering of anger in his subconscious.

Curling his hands into fists, he mentally kicked himself for thinking about it again. The monster, it thrived on his anger, frustration. Without those emotions, the beast withered away inside his mind, unable to take control.

Sighing deeply, Zhang pulled himself up from the mattress and stood shakily. Light shone in his eyes, making him groan in frustration. The blinds, which had more holes in them than a pentapus had suckers, were letting in the early morning light. _What time is it?_ Glancing up at the clock, Zhang's heart missed a beat. _It's almost six! My shift starts in an hour!_

Frantically scrambling for his duffel bag, thrown haphazardly in the corner of the room, the young man picked out a pair of tattered work pants and an old gray shirt. Throwing them on over his underclothes, Zhang bolted for the door. Twisting the knob, he thrust open the door, and stepped into utter chaos.

The flat was always like this in the morning. That was a consequence of having fourteen people living in a space barely big enough for five. The Dragon Flats borough was not known for luxurious housing or even basic living conditions. Ignoring the cacophony of the tenement, Zhang made his way into the kitchen, where a row of paper bags sat on the counter. Each was labeled with a different name, and Zhang quickly found his own.

Snatching it from the counter, he turned back towards the flat's exit. Marching out of the flat in a frenzy, he made his way to a nearby stairwell. Thrusting open the door, Zhang ran down the stairs as fast he could, barreling towards the ground floor. _I cannot be late._

* * *

"But, sir, why are you firing me?" Zhang looked at the factory boss with dismay. _Not again. This can't be happening to me._ The manager smirked, pulling a cigar out of a case in his breast pocket. Snapping his fingers together, he produced a small flame which he used to light the cigar. Blowing a cloud of smoke towards Zhang, the boss finally spoke up. "Boy, you're late. And I've got a hundred people ready to take your job, all just as able. Sorry, kid." The man puffed smoke in Zhang's face once again.

Adrenaline began to pump through his veins. Zhang's hands balled into fists as his anger awoke the beast inside once more. The barriers in his mind couldn't hold back the monster, and his thoughts turned bloody. He could feel the brute's mind try to overtake his, and for a moment, he was going to let it. _NO! Never again._ Zhang forced himself into a calm. The raging beast was pushed back into its cage.

Without a word, Zhang turned and walked away from the factory boss. The anger that had swelled through his body was quickly replaced by disappointment. He sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment, finding solace in the quiet of his mind. _I need to find a new job._

* * *

The flat was so different when Zhang came back. All the adults had left for work already, and the children were out at school or begging for money. He was all alone, something that he was unfamiliar with in past years. He had always blended in with the crowd, careful not to draw attention to himself for fear of exposure. _Also, I have a lot more to lose if I have an episode._ Following that line of thought, Zhang's mind turned to the altercation with the factory boss not too long ago.

_Can I keep the beast controlled for much longer? These memories keep resurfacing, threatening to uncage him again._ Zhang thought back to his time in the Earth Kingdom. He had stayed in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se, living in appalling conditions. One of the denizens from his flat had been a sage for the Earth Queen, until fortune's cruel hand forced him into poverty. The man had taught Zhang several meditation techniques, designed to center himself and focus his mind. Zhang had dismissed the techniques for years now, seeing them as spiritual mumbo-jumbo.

After the morning he had, though, the young scientist was willing to try anything to regain control. Adopting the lotus position, Zhang closed his tired eyes and took a deep breath. _In through the nose, and out through the mouth._ The deep breath seemed to calm his nerves, letting tension flow from his body. _Your problem, young man, is not your body, but your mind. You must learn to focus your chi, let it work for you instead of against you._ The words of the sage resounded through his damaged mind. _Could it be true? I've focused so much on physical stress that I forgot about the psychological strains._

Zhang decided to do something that he had not done in almost three years. His thoughts turned to a small area of his mind. This section had not been visited in many years, for good reason. Zhang had locked something away, he had hoped for good. But now, with the recurring nightmares, he realized he had no choice. Zhang took a deep breath and slowly allowed the beast to reemerge from his subconscious. Instead of violently trying to seize control, the monster seemed to pause, knowing of Zhang's intentions.

Breathing deeply once more, Zhang steeled his mind for what was to come. In order to control the power he had locked inside him, he needed to revisit the beginning. When it all began. The day of the accident.

* * *

**Wulong Test Site  
****Summer, 175 AG**

Zhang pushed aside the anger swelling inside his body, refocusing his mind to the general's earlier comment. "General, I think it is appropriate that I meet the Major, but I have told you repeatedly. I need more time." Before he could continue, Vakir held up his hand to silence him. The doctor was stunned at the disrespectful gesture, but quieted down.

"You, boy, are not the one calling the shots. General Iroh is this close to pulling the plug on your little science fair project. We need a successful test run in order to prove Rebirth is viable. So do you want the yuans to keep flowing or not?" The last question hung over Zhang's mind like a sword tied to a perilously thin string. He did need the money to fully perfect Rebirth, but didn't think the chamber ready for human use. _Well, it's worth a shot._

Zhang turned to the general and bowed, his hands in the traditional Fire Nation salute. "Of course, General. I will begin preparations immediately. Major Lam, if you could follow me." Without saying another word, the scientist turned to exit the room, hoping that the Major would follow his instructions. Behind him, he heard a faint noise that sounded like a kiss, and his hands balled into fists once again.

The Major soon caught up to him, a smile etched across his features. A faint smudge of red lipstick could be seen on his upper lip. In that moment, he looked less like a soldier and more like a lover. Zhang laughed quietly under his breath, and continued to walk down the corridor. Chang spoke up not soon after.

"So you went to school with Kyra? Tell me, has she always been like that?" The grin on his face subsided when he saw Zhang scowl for a brief moment. "I'm sorry. I know that she's like a sister to you. It must be hard, not seeing her after all these years." Still getting no response from Zhang, Chang decided to shut his big mouth for once.

Reaching the end of the corridor, Zhang opened a locked door and strode inside, Chang not far behind. The room they had just entered was a medical examination chamber, with a single hospital bed set up against the wall. "Major, please strip down to your undergarments and sit on the table." Without a single question, Chang followed Zhang's orders. Zhang's lips twisted into a grin. _Military men. I guess I'm in charge now._

Zhang strode over to the medical cabinet and opened it with a small red-colored key. Throwing open the doors, he bent down to examine the safe at the bottom of the cabinet. He twisted the dial, opening the thick platinum door to the safe. Inside was a small plastic box, which Zhang promptly picked up.

Turning around, Zhang saw that Chang was sitting with his legs over the side of the bed. The doctor opened the box and placed it on the bed next to Chang. Inside were six different syringes, all filled with a blue liquid. Zhang took an alcohol wipe from a nearby table, proceeding to prepare the injection points. Chang sat perfectly still the whole time, his back ramrod straight.

The silence that fell across the room was unbearable. Zhang simply couldn't take it anymore, and decided to start a conversation with the man sitting in front of him. "So, Major, how did you meet Kyra?" Zhang had no interest in this story, but sought to keep Chang's mind occupied during the procedure.

Chang smiled and began to regale Zhang with the tale. Put simply, the two had met at a military ball almost two years ago. Her father had introduced the two, and they quickly hit things off. They soon entered into a more permanent relationship, which lasted until that very day. Chang finally finished his story as Zhang picked up the first syringe from the box. Injecting it slowly into the major's left bicep, he pushed down the plunger. The action elicited no response from the major, who sat completely still.

"So you two are happy together?" Zhang's heart had sunk hearing Chang's story, but he simply had to know. Meanwhile, two more syringes had been emptied into Zhang's major muscle groups. "She's the most beautiful woman I have ever met." The major's answer irked Zhang. _That's not what I asked._

"That's not what I asked, Chang. Do you love her?" The abruptness of Zhang's question shocked Chang, who turned to look at the young scientist. Studying his face for a few moments, the major came to a sudden realization. "You love her still, don't you? Not as a sister, but—"

"Yes, I do." Zhang's shoulders sank as he spilled his greatest secret to the other man. _He's probably going to punch me in the face._ He closed his eyes, waiting for the blow, whether it be verbal or physical. A few moments passed, with no response from Chang. Cracking open his eyelids, Zhang glanced at Chang. He still sat there, pondering Zhang's response. With nothing else to do, Zhang sighed deeply and picked up the next syringe.

After about thirty seconds, Zhang pulled the last syringe out of Chang's right arm. The doctor placed the syringe back into the plastic box and marked the container for disposal. Turning back to face the major, he found the man staring intently at Zhang. He didn't look angry, however. He looked almost apologetic.

"Zhang, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said all those things. It was never my intention to hurt you. It's just… I do love Kyra, and that's why I can't stop talking about her." He paused for a brief moment to breathe deeply. "I mean, you've met her. She's smart, funny, nice, not to mention those eyes of hers. She's one of the most selfless women I've ever met, and I still can't understand what she's doing dating some army flunky like me."

"I can." Zhang finally spoke up. "When I first saw you, I thought that you were just another rotten apple like General Vakir, a man with delusions of grandeur. I'm wrong though. You're smart, humble, and caring. The way you just described Kyra, the way you look when you talk about her, it's not lust. It's love. And I can tell she cares about you too." Placing a hand on Chang's bare shoulder, Zhang smiled.

"She deserves someone like you. As long as she is happy, I'm happy. I might still love her, but all I want is for her to live her life with joy and laughter. If you make her happy, I think I can respect that." Zhang held out his right hand. Chang quickly stood up to shake hands with the doctor.

"Thank you, Zhang, for understanding." Zhang simply nodded and turned to leave the room. "One of the technicians will take you to the Rebirth chamber in a few minutes. I have to get some things ready for the test." Without another word, the scientist opened the steel door and left Chang alone with his thoughts.

* * *

**Republic City  
****Spring, 178 AG**

Zhang was shaken out of his meditation, literally. A man, whom Zhang recognized as his roommate, had woken him from his trance. He spoke quickly and quietly. "Zhang, the police have set up a cordon around the block, and I think the military is sending in tanks. Before the police closed off the area, I overheard one of them saying something about a Doctor Wei. I think they're here for you."

Zhang's eyes widened in shock, his pulse now racing. Adrenaline began to surge into his bloodstream again. His mouth felt dry as his heart fluttered. _They found me._ He jumped into a standing position and grabbed his roommate by the shoulders. "Stay in here and lock the door. No matter what I say, don't let me back in here." Zhang turned and ran towards the door, not bothering to gather any of his possessions.

"Zhang, what's going on?" His roommate grabbed Zhang by the shoulder. The beast awoke once again, surging into his mind. _No!_ Zhang spun and knocked the man back. "You need to stay here. I can't draw anyone else into this." He threw open the door and began to run down the hallway. Before he left, however, his roommate noticed something odd about Zhang. His eyes, which were normally brown, had turned bright green.

Zhang could hear his heart pounding in his ears, but he focused on escaping the building. No doubt the men coming for him had sealed off the main entrances and exits. _That means the stairwells are out of the question._ Zhang remembered another idea just as he passed the stairway. _The dumb waiter._ A small freight elevator had been installed in the apartment complex, but fell into disrepair during the Unalaq crisis. Now, the elevator shaft lay empty and unused. _It's perfect._

* * *

The military had moved inside the cordoned area only minutes before the roommate delivered the warning to Zhang, but they moved fast. Four squads of men moved to cover the building's main entrances, while another two squads covered the main stairwells. A final elite squad, comprised of benders from each nation, had ascended the south stairwell to the tenth floor. That was where their source had placed Zhang Wei, in apartment number 1023.

The two firebenders took point, facing forward in a combat stance. The three waterbenders stood behind them, water encasing their arms like armor. Finally, four earthbenders took up the rear, including a single metalbending sergeant. Once the squad reached the room number, the sergeant pointed to the door and nodded. Without warning, the firebenders blasted the door off its hinges with a combined fire blast. Swarming into the room, the three waterbenders quickly identified a target and blasted water towards the man. Freezing the water completely, the benders had trapped the target in a pillar of ice. Following the three into the room, the metalbender inspected the prisoner and scowled. "It's not him."

Searching the entire apartment took only seconds. The squad found no one else. Cursing under his breath, the metalbender pointed to the frozen man. The waterbenders melted the water and withdrew it into the containers on their backs. The metalbender lifted a radio to his head and spoke. "Sir, the target is not in the room."

"What?! Search the entire building, find him." The metalbender nodded and pointed to one of the earthbenders. The bender in question nodded and slammed his right heel into the ground. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he used the vibrations of the concrete to track the target. Opening his eyes, he spoke. "The target is using the abandoned elevator shaft to flee to the ground floor." The metalbender relayed the information to the man on the radio, who bellowed into the headset.

"Get down there and stop him!"

* * *

Zhang finished his harrowing descent down the elevator shaft and took a deep breath. He had taken his coat and wrapped it around a cable. This shielded his hands from friction burns as he slid down the rope for eight stories. Leaving his coat wrapped around the cable, he exited the shaft onto the second floor of the building.

He sprinted towards the south end of the building, straight towards a small window at the end of the hallway. Without stopping, he held his arms up and barreled into the glass. His clothes shielded most of his body from the glass shards slicing through the air. Zhang could feel himself falling towards the pavement ten feet below, and bent his knees. As he landed, he rolled with the impact to try and cushion his fall. Pain lanced through his right leg, the impact jarring his knee badly. Ignoring his body's warnings, he pushed himself up onto his feet.

_I'm home free._ Zhang stumbled forward, putting most of his weight on his left leg. He had emerged in an alley adjacent to the building, with no military forces in sight. The scientist moved forward, slowly, his right leg dragging behind him. _I need to get out of here._ He could hear airships hovering above the area, tanks rumbling in the streets. _How did they find me?_

Hobbling through the alleyway, Zhang looked for an entrance to the neighboring building. About twenty yards down from where he jumped from the tenement, a fire door stood propped open. The wounded man continued his march towards the door, his face contorting in pain from his wounded limb. _Almost there._

Just as he reached the metal door, it swung shut suddenly. Zhang's eyes widened and he swung around, ignoring the flash of intense pain. Behind him stood a group of nine military men. _So close._ Two of them leaped forward and pushed down, their hands clenching into fists. The earth beneath Zhang swallowed him, leaving only his head free. Yanking their fists upwards, the earthbenders pulled the trapped scientist upwards, still contained by the block of earth.

Adrenaline began to pump through Zhang's body, eliciting a physical reaction. His eyes turned bright green, and a guttural roar escaped his lips. Before the transformation could go any further, however, Zhang felt a sharp pain at the base of his skull. A few seconds later, the world went black.

* * *

**Wulong Test Site  
****Summer, 175 AG**

The two technicians had brought a shirtless Chang Lam into the control room again. Zhang, Kyra, Vakir, and the other military men stood waiting for him. The major stopped in front of the general, his heels clicking together. His right hand was brought up to his head in a salute, his back now ramrod straight. "General, I would just like to thank you again for this opportunity."

The general nodded gruffly. Chang now turned to Zhang and repeated the gesture. "And to you, Doctor Wei, for everything you've done for this country which I love. With this power, I can help defend her shores." Zhang smiled, honored by Chang's action. "Thank you, Major. Now, if you could please follow these technicians, we can get started." Chang nodded and followed the two techs through a door to an adjacent chamber. Zhang and the others watched him through a plate glass window separating the two rooms.

Chang was guided to a small container standing in the middle of the room. The design was reminiscent of Fire Nation prison coolers, with room for only one person. Inside the container stood an upright metal slab, with restraints for a person's limbs. As the technicians readied Chang inside the chamber, Zhang turned to the various dignitaries in the control room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the first test of Project: Rebirth. I'm not going to bore you with history, but needless to say, the serum we are using is a close approximation of the one used in the first tests all those years ago. Since we have no formula to work off of, we had to make educated guesses and test other components of the serum for years. The serum is now ready for human testing, and has been injected in six different muscle groups across the subject's body.

The second component of the process is an infusion of gamma rays. The original process used a differing type of rays, which were lost to us along with the old serum. After testing the serum on animal subjects, however, we have determined that gamma rays are able to activate the serum as well. So, we have modified an old cooler unit with gamma emitters to irradiate the subject and induce the transformation. Any questions?"

Kyra asked a question out of nowhere. "What do you mean transformation? Are you saying that he will be… some kind of inhuman abomination?" Zhang turned to face her and gave her an answer.

"No. He will be the perfect human. His strength, speed, reflexes, even his mind, will be enhanced to peak levels. In short, he will be at the pinnacle of natural human ability." The two technicians walked back into the control room and nodded to Zhang. He acknowledged them and walked over to the instrument panel. "Everyone, please stand behind the yellow line on the floor. I am about to start the procedure."

The visitors all did as he said, while he inserted a key into the panel. Turning it to the right, a red light at the top of the panel flickered on. Without a second's hesitation, he pressed a button labeled "MAIN POWER." The light turned green, and the panel began to hum. The chamber holding Chang began to vibrate, a green light emanating from the small viewport at the top.

A medical tech at the side of the room shouted to Zhang over the increasing noise from the other room. "His vitals are holding steady!" Zhang flashed a thumbs up and turned back to the panel. _Gamma levels are increasing at standard rate. _He pushed his glasses up and glanced back at the chamber holding Chang. The green light appeared to grow in brightness as the gamma radiation increased.

"Doctor, something's wrong with his vitals! Heart rate and blood pressure are going haywire!" Zhang blanched at the technician's statement. _No, no, no…_ Looking down at the instrument panel, he tried to find the problem and correct it. _Damn it!_

"I need options, people! What's going on?" "Doctor, it appears as if the serum in his blood isn't reacting to the gamma rays correctly. It's causing him to go into shock!" As if Zhang's problems couldn't get any worse, the gamma radiation dial spiked dramatically, and the power to the chamber began to fluctuate. "No, no! Damn it!" Zhang attempted to adjust the power levels and lower the output of the gamma emitters, to no avail.

Seeing no other option, the doctor turned to General Vakir. "General, we need to pull the plug. Now." The general grunted, his expression souring even more than usual. "Alright, Doctor. Pull him out of there." Zhang nodded and attempted to cut the power to the chamber. Twisting the key to the left, he pulled the key out. The green light on the panel shut off, and the panel stopped humming. The doctor sighed in relief, until he looked up at the chamber again. The green light continued to stream from the viewport. _No…_

"Why didn't that work?" The general was now standing next to Zhang, who frantically checked the panel for a malfunction. "The power surge must have fried the control circuit. General, we need to physically remove him from the chamber before—"

An inhuman scream echoed from within the chamber. Kyra ran to the glass, screaming bloody murder. General Vakir waved two of his aides forward, who pulled her back to behind the yellow line. "Give me options, Doctor. What can we do?"

"Someone has to go into the chamber and pull him out. There is a problem, however." The doctor pointed at the chamber, which was glowing even more intensely than before. "The radiation alone could cause serious injury, and at the rate energy is building up in the emitters, we are at serious risk of an explosion. If we're going to go, we need to do it _now_."

Vakir weighed his options carefully, but quickly. "No."

Kyra's eyes widened in shock. "Daddy!" Vakir ignored his daughter's words and turned to face Zhang. "If what you say is true, we need to evacuate the complex. We can't waste time trying to save someone who may already be dead. Besides, he knew the risks associated with the experiment. Now, sound the alarm." A medical tech nodded in acknowledgement and pulled a fire alarm. Bells began to ring throughout the facility, signaling an evacuation order. The visitors at the back of the room began to walk out of the room, with the exception of the general and his daughter.

Zhang stood in place. It is true what the general said. _Besides, with him out of the way, Kyra—_ As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he was disgusted with himself. Looking over at her, Zhang saw tears form at the corners of her beautiful eyes. _If he dies, she will never be the same._ He balled his hands into fists and made his decision.

Without warning, he bolted for the door to the chamber. Before anyone else could do anything, the scientist was inside the other room. The general's eyes widened in fury, but he did the only thing he could do. Vakir grabbed his daughter by the arm and pulled her out of the observation room. Zhang sighed and turned his attention back to Chang. The screaming began again, this time in the form of words. "Kyra! Kyra!"

Zhang grimaced and opened the chamber's door. A green glow illuminated his body as the door slid open. Instantly, pain washed over Zhang's body as the radiation pierced his skin. Ignoring the discomfort, he reached for the restraints around Chang's wrists. Zhang freed Chang's arms as quickly as he could, black spots blurring his vision.

The chamber began to vibrate erratically, the energy increasing to immense levels. Zhang's hands began to shake, adrenaline pumping through his bloodstream. Fumbling with the leg restraints, he finally managed to release Chang's lower limbs after a few harrowing seconds. Chang had, at that point, lapsed into a semiconscious state, mumbling Kyra's name over and over again.

Zhang put the major's right arm across his shoulders, lifting the man out of the chamber. The gamma emitters were at the point of overload, ready to burst with energy. Zhang grunted from the exertion, but managed to half carry, half drag Chang towards the door. Glancing into the observation room, Zhang saw that it was clear of any bystanders. _That's a relief._

Five feet from the door, Zhang noticed that the noises coming from the chamber had stopped. Turning around to take a look, Zhang was not prepared for what came next. The gamma emitters, filled to the brim with excess energy, exploded. As the chamber was turned to shrapnel by the detonation, Zhang quickly threw himself in front of Chang. _Kyra, I'm sorry._ Then, the world went black.

* * *

**Republic City  
****Spring, 178 AG**

As Zhang came to, he noticed that his hands and feet were bound with a thick metal rope. Panicking, the young man squirmed in an attempt to escape. He was forced to stop when pain lanced up his wounded leg. Gritting his teeth, Zhang decided to sit still and take in his surroundings. He was still in the Dragon Flats borough, but was sitting in the back of a reinforced police van. Members of the squad who captured him stood guard outside the back doors to the vehicle, accompanied by several police officers.

The metalbending sergeant from the squad sat across from Zhang, his eyes locked on the captive at all times. Zhang was about to speak up when the metalbender's gaze shifted to the van's rear entrance. Following the sergeant's eyes, he found himself staring into familiar amber eyes. _Thunderbolt._

General Vakir stepped into the van, a rare grin breaking through his stony features. "Well, well, Doctor Wei, it has been a long time." Zhang nodded grimly, his words turning into a snarl. "Almost a year now. You're slipping, Thunderbolt." The general moved to strike Zhang, but something held him back at the last moment. _That's right, general. I'm untouchable._

"Wipe that stupid smirk off your face, monster. You're going to be locked away for the rest of your life. I'm going to put you into the deepest, darkest hole I can find, lock you in, and throw away the key. You…" He pointed at Zhang accusingly. "ruined everything." Zhang's expression fell, as if finally appreciating the gravity of his situation.

Before he could respond to the general's concerns, a strange object crashed into the pavement near the van. The soldiers guarding Zhang fanned out around the crater formed in the street. Taking combat stances, these warriors were joined by both the metalbending sergeant and General Vakir. A cloud of dust obscured their view of the impact site. As an earthbender stepped forward to bend the dust away, an inhuman growl emanated from the cloud's center.

_Wait, I know that sound_. Zhang's eyes widened as he realized what had just occurred. Before he could even blink, a monster emerged from the dust. The beast stood around seven feet tall, and had to weigh half a ton. Its skin was dark green, covered in scales and reptilian skin with no hair anywhere on its body. Its green eyes scanned the surrounding area with cold calculation, before settling on Zhang.

It struck an oversized fist into three of the benders, sending them flying through the air. The remaining benders launched a frenzy of attacks to beat it back, but to no avail. The monster shrugged off the attacks like they were nothing, continuing to march towards the captive scientist. The metalbenders fired their cables at the monster, who simply yanked the benders into his waiting fist. One officer screamed as the creature broke his spine with a single blow, and two others were killed instantly by the attack.

General Vakir stood right in the monster's path, adopting a traditional firebending stance. Sparks danced around him as his arms moved in a circular motion. Bringing his two hands together, Vakir the Thunderbolt thrust out his right hand with the first two fingers extended. A bolt of lightning burst forth from the firebender's fingers, striking the beast directly in the chest.

The lightning charred the creature's flesh, and for a moment, Zhang thought that it was 's when it laughed.

Its laughter was terrifying, carried in an extremely deep baritone which chilled Zhang to the core. "That all you got? Little man…" Knocking Vakir aside, the monster took the police van and ripped its ceiling clean off. "Hello, doctor. I think it's time for a checkup." The voice sounded familiar, although it was distorted and inhuman. Zhang thought back to his time at Wulong, to one day in particular. The day that had changed his life forever.

His brown eyes widened in fear. "Chang? What happened to you?"

The creature closed its eyes for a brief moment, lulling Zhang into a false sense of security. Its lips then turned up into a demented smile, a truly horrifying sight. The green eyes of the monster flashed open as a massive hand grasped Zhang tightly. "Why, it's like you said. I changed that day three years ago. I became… an Abomination!" The creature formerly known as Chang Lam twisted around and threw the scientist down the street.

Zhang landed forty feet away on the asphalt, bones cracking as he did. The pain rippling through his body was almost unbearable. The adrenaline pumping through his body did little to dull the agony. Anger took hold in his mind, the beast inside him feeding off it. Zhang breathed deeply and did something he had never done before.

He let the monster loose.

Roaring inhumanly, Zhang's muscles swelled as the monster took over his body. His eyes changed from a dark brown color to a bright green. As his body grew, Zhang's skin turned the same green as his eyes. The metal cables tied around his body couldn't handle the stress, snapping like twigs under his growing strength. Now free, Zhang slammed a massive green fist into the ground, cracking the asphalt underneath.

By the time the transformation finished, Zhang was unrecognizable. His hair now matched both his skin and eyes. His broken bones had healed themselves in a matter of seconds, leaving him in perfect health. The doctor stood at seven and a half feet tall and weighed half a ton. The muscles in his once frail body were now massive, granting him unbelievable strength. The Abomination smiled as it saw Zhang's transformation take hold. "So, the monster is finally out to play. Are you ready to die, Zhang?"

Zhang lifted his head and stared at the Abomination. "Hulk smash!"

Sprinting towards his enemy, the Hulk shook the very ground beneath him. Zhang's persona was now lost in the mind of the beast, suppressed by his own rage. Only the Hulk remained.

Pulling back his right fist, the Hulk unleashed an earth shattering blow against his foe. The Abomination grinned and dodged the blow, unleashing an attack of its own. The Abomination's uppercut caught the Hulk in the chin, the sheer force of the blow stopping him in his tracks. Before he could retaliate, the Abomination slugged him in the gut.

The punch sent the Hulk flying into an apartment building across the street. The green behemoth crashed into the front of the complex, shattering the concrete wall on impact. The Hulk's momentum carried him into the middle of the building, finally stopping after twenty feet. The Hulk roared in anger and got back on his feet. Leaping forward, he slammed into the Abomination, tackling it to the ground.

Landing two quick punches on the Abomination's face, the Hulk drew back his right fist for a third attack. The Abomination slammed its head into the Hulk's chest, knocking him off its chest. The freed monster smacked the Hulk with the back of its right hand, followed by a left hook. The years of military training that the Abomination could call upon, added to its immense strength, made it difficult for the Hulk to land a single blow or dodge the enemy assault.

The Hulk tried time and time again to hit his opponent, but never could. The Abomination, on the other hand, seemed to be unstoppable. The two were equally matched in strength, but the Abomination seemed to be outclassing the Hulk in every other way.

The Hulk took a fist to his gut, and felt his legs give way under him. The battle was tiring him out, making it that much easier for the Abomination to gain the upper hand. Laughing like a maniac, the Hulk's hated enemy pinned him to the ground and began unleashing blow after blow. The asphalt underneath the combatants cracked with each punch. Each attack sent shockwaves rippling through the surrounding air, damaging the surrounding buildings.

"I'm better than you, Zhang! I was and always will be!" The Abomination was screaming at its downed foe as it pummeled him. "After I'm done with you, I'm going to rip Vakir's head off his body and beat his daughter to death with it! She abandoned me! Left me to rot in one of Vakir's prison cells! But I escaped, and now she'll be begging for mercy."

The Abomination's comments filtered into the Hulk's mind, reaching the place where Zhang's personality was now trapped. _Kyra… NO!_ The Hulk and Zhang were now of the same mind, sharing the same goal. Their combined anger flowed through the Hulk's body, giving him strength once again.

Freeing his right arm, the Hulk roared and let loose a powerful punch. The Abomination's face crumpled from the impact and the monster stumbled away. Now free from the Abomination's grip, the Hulk sprang into action, letting loose a flurry of attacks on the stunned foe. The Abomination just didn't understand. The Hulk now seemed to be even stronger than it, but how?

Grabbing the Abomination around his waist, the Hulk threw him into the air with all his might. The monster was launched high into the sky, arcing away towards the edge of the city. The Hulk's leg muscles flared as he leaped after the Abomination.

* * *

The two combatants landed in the industrial district, tearing up the street with the dual impacts. The Hulk took little time in charging his downed opponent. The Abomination tried to pull itself to its feet and face the incoming attack. Green blood dripped from its forehead and its right arm hung limp at its side. The monster could do little to defend from the enraged Hulk, who slugged it in its jaw. Bone cracked and the Abomination fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

The Hulk did not let up, pounding his foe into the ground with each blow. "HULK STRONGEST ONE THERE IS!" The roar seemed to rend the very air itself, heard for miles around. The asphalt gave way to the Hulk's strength as he pummeled the Abomination. He would have continued until the street was stained with the Abomination's brains had it not been for the voice. The voice that sounded so familiar to the Hulk, a voice that he had heard on the day of his birth. Ceasing his assault, the behemoth turned to face the woman standing ten feet away.

"Zhang, please stop." _Kyra._ The young woman stood there, unafraid of the towering monster that was the Hulk. Zhang's persona fought against the Hulk's dominant mind, hoping to stop him from crushing Kyra. Surprisingly, Zhang found no anger in the Hulk's mind, no uncontrollable rage. He found an unfamiliar emotion filling the void instead. _Love._

The Hulk put his hand on his forehead as the anger subsided. "Kyra…" The monster began to shrink down to normal size, turning back into Zhang. After a few seconds, Zhang stood in the Hulk's place, his pants in tatters and shirtless. Kyra's eyes glistened with tears as she ran forward to embrace her former love.

Cupping her face in his hands, Zhang brought her lips to his. The passion igniting his chest made him feel as powerful as the Hulk and as happy as he was before the accident. Instead of pulling away, she leaned into the kiss, throwing her arms around his shoulder. Time seemed to stand still as the lovers continued to embrace, only to speed back up as the two broke apart.

Kyra buried her face in Zhang's shoulders, tears wetting his bare chest. "I thought I had lost both of you. I was so scared that day, afraid that I would never see you again."

Zhang felt the hot sting of tears running down his face, and closed his eyes. "I can't believe that I almost killed him. That the Hulk almost killed him. But you saved me, like you always have." Kyra's bright blue eyes lifted to stare at him, tears still forming at their edges.

"You have to go again, don't you?" Zhang nodded, tears streaking down his face. Kyra's eyes conveyed to him the sadness filling her heart, but he knew she understood. Taking Kyra's hands in his, Zhang spoke. "We can never be together, Kyra. I'm too dangerous, too much of a risk. I won't put you in harm's way just to be together. I love you too much." Letting go of her hands, he began to walk down the street away from his lover. Before he got too far away, he turned back to face her one last time. "I guess this is goodbye."

Kyra was too sad to speak, her sorrow constricting her vocal chords. In the span of one day, she lost both of the men she held so dear. One was sitting at the bottom of a crater, unconscious, and the other stood not ten feet away, leaving her forever. Tears ran freely down her face as uncontrollable sobs wracked her body. Zhang's pained expression would be the last thing she remembered of him.

* * *

**Yu Dao  
****Two Weeks Later**

Zhang walked into his flat in Yu Dao, exhausted from a long day's work. _At least I have an apartment to myself now_. The company had been gracious enough to provide their new clerk with a small apartment just for him. Sighing deeply, the man took his shoes off and threw them next to the door. Turning around to face the kitchen, he jumped back in shock.

A man sat in the lotus position in the middle of the floor, meditating. His eyes were closed, hands resting atop his knees. Zhang took a moment to analyze his visitor. The man was clearly from the southern Earth Kingdom, his skin a darker tone than even those of the Water Tribes. He looked to be around fifty or sixty years old, wrinkles already forming on his face. His body was very slim, but muscular in a way. The man's head had no hair except for a long black beard which came down all the way to his chest. His clothes were tattered from years of use, indicating a traveling lifestyle.

The man's eyes flashed open and revealed gray irises, a rare color for someone of his complexion. The man looked up and saw Zhang standing in the doorway apprehensively. Smiling, the meditating intruder gestured for Zhang to join him. "Please, sit."

_This is my apartment!_ Opening his mouth to argue, Zhang decided against it and simply sat down in front of the man, taking the lotus position as well. The man smiled again and began to speak.

"Hello, Zhang."

"Who are you? What are you doing in my apartment? I want an answer!" Zhang's ire was quickly rising, the Hulk awaking in the back of his mind. He desperately wanted to lash out, as he did against the Abomination weeks ago. _No, that is not the way_. Inhaling deeply through his nostrils, he let himself relax.

The man took notice of Zhang's facial expressions and vocal tones. "Clearly, Mister Wei, you must still control the animal raging inside of you. I will answer your questions, but only if you promise to hear me out." Zhang nodded in acknowledgement.

"My name is Guru Yayati. I have traveled far and wide, studying with the greatest sages and spiritual leaders in the world. Four years ago, I received a vision of a man plagued with a great and terrible power, a man who could one day change the world for the better. I resolved to find him and guide him, so that he could find balance and order in his life. I have searched every continent, every island, every city, village, and town looking for this man." He closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"Zhang, you are the man from my vision. After four years, our paths have connected and our journey together may begin."

Zhang took a moment to ponder what Yayati had said. _What does a spiritual guru want with me? Want with the Hulk?_ "Why do you want to meet me? What do you want?" Yayati stared at Zhang, studying him once again. His right hand stroked his beard as he pondered how to answer the questions. Seeing no other way, he opted for the blunt straightforward approach.

"I wish to help you master the Hulk. To be in control of your transformations. I do this so that you will no longer fear the beast inside of you, but embrace the power it has. Within you is the strength to bring order and balance to the world. All you must do is learn to master it."

"What will this process entail? What must I do?" Zhang leaped at the chance, no matter how little he trusted this stranger. If what he said was true, it required further investigation. _I could be in control again. I can be free of the Hulk._ Tears began to form in his eyes, which he quickly wiped away.

"You must undergo a journey to unlock the chakras in your body. It will be perilous, and you must see it through to the end. However, once you have finished, you will be in complete control of your inner self and the strength that it possesses. So, do you accept?"

Zhang pondered what the guru said carefully. Closing his eyes, he remembered the progress he had made with the Hulk all by himself. _Think of the possibilities._ Inhaling and exhaling slowly, Zhang slowly opened his eyes. His mind was now made up.

"Yes, I do."

* * *

A/N: Another chapter done, and two out of the five founding members revealed. In case you were wondering, the line up I've planned is Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Captain America (the Avatar equivalent), and Korra. Obviously there are a few more chapters until the Avengers come together, but you can expect a two parter in the near future.

The next chapter I'm planning is going to be about Thor, and will probably be longer than this chapter. It's going to be set mainly in Republic City, and will discuss the storyline I set up in the prologue.

I welcome any and all feedback you might have to offer. Just leave a review and I will respond to it in my next chapter.

To respond to a guest's review from the last chapter, ASC means After Sozin's Comet, which is the beginning of the Hundred Year War. I've replaced that with the standard dating system of BG and AG, which sets the Air Nomad Genocide as the reference date. However, the two dating systems are interchangeable, like BC and BCE.

Thanks for reading!


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